A Lot of Hot Air

A Lot of Hot Air

Jeff McLanahan
Contributing Writer
Service Experts/Enercare

I recently attended the local Balloon Festival and it occurred to me that we sometimes treat our best performers like balloons.

In the beginning, we add tasks to our employees like we add air to a balloon. We inflate them with tasks and watch with enthusiasm as they grow bigger and better. We continue to add tasks to our top performers because of our belief in their talent. At some point, however, they reach their limit and if we are not aware, the top performer may explode which could result in something not being completed, something being done poorly, or the employee reaching burnout.

Studies indicate that when an employee reaches burnout and decides to leave the company, it can cost up to 150{938cd9e8dae860e800efc538277d4f7684e6f6981618ba70d1c34357a53c2e1f} of the employee’s salary to find a replacement. Also, fellow employees may not want to remain in a situation where work is routinely added until people explode.

We are all busy and it is easy to get over-inflated. To reduce the chances of this happening, here are some ideas to keep in mind:

Revisit Priorities – New tasks will always come along and everything cannot be a priority. In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins says, ”If you have more than three priorities, you have no priorities.” Review tasks regularly and reprioritize with your team.

Be Transparent – Let your team know about the upcoming workload. Listen to concerns with an open mind and be aware when people are feeling overwhelmed. Employees are responsible for completing their work but you need to ensure it is actually achievable.

Manage Highs and Lows – Every business has peak times and employees understand this. Everyone can handle strenuous times but they also need an opportunity to catch their breath during slower periods. If employees perceive there is no end in sight to strenuous times, they may inflate their own balloon so they can make a flight to another company.

We all have top performers that we rely on when we are up against a deadline and things need to get done. We just need to be aware of situations that may arise when their balloon is about to burst so we can allow them to decompress.