None of us are machines – despite our increasingly 24/7 lifestyles, all of us can only manage so much. A pattern I notice in clients is an expectation that the ‘should’ be able to manage all the demands on them. Rather than challenge the reasonableness of such demands the tendency is to ‘soldier on’.

Which brings me to the topics of burnout – work for too hard and for too long we will succumb. Not good for us as individuals, those that love us, or the organisations we work in. It’s therefore essential that coaches have an understanding of the early signs when working with over stretched clients:

• Phase of big illusions – believing that we can change the world. Work becomes life.
• Phase of frustration – placing too high expectations on ourselves leads to disappointment. We start to resent sacrificing our personal life, perhaps health problems start to niggle.
• Phase of decreased vitality – we start to feel everything is a burden, we don’t have time for play or personal development
• Phase of apathy – work loses its meaning

Now of course it’s not just clients that can burnout….