In response to the question of what to do with a burned-out manager,
perhaps we should treat that person the same as any other troubled person
in an organization. Burn-out, for example, can be caused by external
circumstances, and the offer of support can help mitigate that.
Burn-out is difficult to reverse, but from my experience, it is
reversible. Some effort to recover the burned-out person is appropriate.
A burned out person in the right position can still be a constructive
performer. Are there positions which can use that person's skills,
knowledge, and history with the organization to good purpose? Perhaps.
Finally, burn-out can be misdiagnosed. Everyone needs stress and energy
to wax and wane in their lives. Sometimes the high-performer just needs
to rest and regain strength.
There is also the other perspective which is that the person never was a
high-performer, but was previously mis-characterized. Being
mis-characterized is not his or her fault, and the organization may wish
to simply correct a mistake in which this person was given more
responsibility then they were prepared to handle.
--Rol Fessenden LL Bean, Inc. 76234.3636@compuserve.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>