82% of Australian knowledge workers (ie professionals) feel burnt out. 82%!!! Of those 36% are identifying as very or extremely burnt out.

When I went down this rabbit hole I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go there. Burnout has become a buzzword, and I wasn’t convinced it would be helpful to add to the noise. At a time when AI should be lightening our load, it’s increasing stress for senior leaders. We had a cultural reset during COVID that made working from home the norm and is now being reversed.

And to make it worse, According to the latest data from Diversity Australia, burnout is getting worse for women and minorities—up to 42% for women. Meanwhile, burnout rates for men have dropped to 30%.

Then I looked at the usual “what to do about burnout” articles. The advice was familiar:

1. 1. 1. Set Boundaries
      2. Prioritise Self-Care
      3. Seek Support
      4. Practice Mindfulness

And yes, these things all help to prevent and recover but they are missing the fundamental point. The reality is that this isn’t enough. We need a revolution. Especially for women.

Why we need a Revolution

There is a fundamental and systemic issue that means women are doing more unpaid work not just at home (it’s 9 hours by the way) but at work as well.

Women have been schooled from an early age that they need to be other focused and both men and women carry this expectation forward into the workplace with party planning, social activities and minute taking defaulted to women.

I will never forget my bosses face when, in the third leadership meeting in a row, he asked me to take the minutes and I replied “no thank you, I’ve done them the last two times, it would be great to share the load”.

He called me afterwards and told me he wasn’t asking me because I was a woman, he asked me because “I did such a great job”. I let him know I’d be happy to provide training to the leadership team so everyone else could do it just as well if he preferred. Next meeting there was a rotating roster introduced.

However it’s not just that women are asked more often, it’s also that they volunteer more often to do these thankless tasks. The theory being that it’s fun or easy for them. Except the science says this is not the case, it’s just that they’ve been programmed to please and self-sacrifice in this way.

So I’m calling on women to get clear on who they are, their actual strengths they should be turning into superpowers by removing these shadow sides and owning their inner critic and other barriers that hold them back from confidently saying no.

If we create an environment where women can show up as their whole and beautiful selves as leaders and stop seeking for them to fit into the minority norm that currently exists, we will accelerate the closing of the gender gap and reduce the increasing trend of burnout for women.

What Happens After (or Alongside) the Revolution

I desperately want to see women stay in and thrive in senior and executive roles in the corporate environment. And if they do leave, let it be because they’ve discovered their purpose and something they’re excited to chase—not because they’re burnt out or feel like they don’t belong.

I hear so many stories from coaches about the fact that they were burnt out and wanted to become a coach to help other women prevent this. And it’s a worthy origin story. But I don’t believe it helps women stay in and change leadership from the inside.

I’ve had burnout knock at the door but it didn’t write my story.  I held a role where I supported a team of majority female leaders to develop and grow and it was an exceptional experience.

We created an environment where they were encouraged to lead in a way that was ambitious, authentic, feminine and powerful and we quickly became the best performing segment in the business. People went from saying it was the worst area, to actively seeking to join us.

The only real difference? We called their approach feminine leadership. The men I work with? They use the same traits—and no one questions it. So my ask for you, man or woman is to start listening to and getting to know yourself by:

• • • Understanding your motivational anchors (your purpose and values) and act in alignment with these;
    • Uncovering your leadership superpowers (by understanding your strengths and the shadow sides that hold you back from success);
    • Own your inner critic so it releases it’s power over you and you can step into challenges with confidence; and
    • Get clarity on what you want and how you’re going to get there so you can align your actions in life.

And to finish my origin story, when I moved to Darwin after my third career sabbatical (part of my core value of Freedom to Adventure), I found that the ability to Contribute Through Leadership (my other core value) in Darwin was limited to Government and small business environments. That didn’t light me up, medium to large corporates are my wheelhouse! So I started Transform and Lead with Bron and now I’m an executive coach and expert in helping women to own their ambition, in a way that doesn’t add to an already overwhelming life.

If you’d like to know more about the 12 week Power Pivot Program reach out to me at bron@transformandlead.com.au