MISSION REPORT: FORT FUBAR
(CLASSIFICATION: SUPER SECRET SQUIRREL)
SITREP: Why you are burned out with the Army and how you can fix it for you and your subordinates
Burn out in the military is real. Every day you are expected to go, go, go. You get leave but you can’t really take it because of the next training event, deployment, job transition, etc. But have you ever noticed that when you are working on something you love, you don’t necessarily mind working a lot. In fact, you rather enjoy the work you do! That’s because to be a happy employee you need 5 ingredients: purpose, autonomy, mastery, identity, and connection. [1]
Let’s start with purpose. I have deployed twice once to Iraq and once to Kosovo. While in Iraq, each day we woke up with a sense of purpose. I was a platoon leader conducting convoy logistic patrols knowing full well that if the convoy didn’t make it, soldiers at those bases would run out necessities in a hurry. Also, I knew that if I didn’t have my stuff together, my platoon may probably die. No one in my platoon ever questioned the work we had to do or complained much about motor pool maintenance and conducting battle drill rehearsals because we knew the importance of our purpose (living and delivering). Flashforward to Kosovo, we were conducting a NATO mission in which NATO for political reasons had decided to remain neutral on Kosovo becoming a nation. You can’t win a war as the referee! You have to pick a side. Walking around the cities, seeing no possible way Serbia would or could invade, it was almost impossible for our leaders to convince us of a sense of purpose for that mission. Simply put, we didn’t need to be there (or at least other nations could cover down for us). Conveying a sense of purpose to your subordinates is everything! One definition of leadership is getting people to do the things you want them to do by convincing them that they want to do it. When people have a “why” or a reason, they are so much more motivated. So, be a good communicator and give them that reason. Inversely, if you’re feeling burned out, find your “why” or your motivation.
Now let’s discuss autonomy. You love being micromanaged, don’t you? Wait, you don’t? Well, of course not, very few do. That’s why having autonomy in your job is so important. Being able to have ownership over your work and complete your tasks the best way you see fit (albeit given some guidance) is how almost all of us want to work. The army even acknowledges this through its teaching of mission command, a philosophy that encourages commanders to provide intent and then let their subordinates do the rest (allowing for quicker adaptability and flexibility than following ridged guidelines). Having the ability to be creative and accomplish tasks in the way you best see fit is a huge morale booster and makes work more fun. So go ahead, provide excellent guidance and an end state of what you want done and then let your subordinates wow you with all that they can do. If you find yourself being micromanaged, show your boss what your capable of, take some initiative to get things done, and show him how he can trust you to work independently. You can also mention that it will free up your boss to do other things besides micromanage you (though I wouldn’t put that way 😉).
Do you ever feel like just when you are getting good at an assignment, the army moves you to another assignment that you know very little about? This is a great way to be broadened and to learn about all the different aspects of the military, but it also leads to burnout because it prevents mastery. Turns out we have more fulfillment when we have mastered our position. A Lieutenant once saw me put together a quarterly training brief. He was wowed with how fast I was able to come up with a plan and create a PowerPoint presentation articulating perfectly what and how we were going to accomplish. He had tried to do it early and was fighting all sorts of formatting issues and having trouble figuring out how to properly display our plan. What he didn’t know is that I had had 20 years of experience doing that very same thing. I had mastered that step. So, it’s true that it only took me 10 minutes to complete the task, but it took 10 minutes with 20 years of experience. Having mastery is a game changer. It allows for you to truly own your work and expand it to make it perfect; to find inefficiencies and make them as streamlined as possible. Mastery helps you accomplish more because you are not fighting against little nit-picky things. You already know how to accomplish them. You already know who to contact to get things done. You are not reinventing the wheel, but rather building an elaborate car. Therefore, think before moving your people constantly. If they have mastered a task, it might be better to continue to let them flourish there. There is no sense in teaching Tom Brady how to be a better blocker. Just let him throw the ball. Nor should make Michael Jordan be in charge of team logistics. Let him score points. Mastery comes from experience and repetitions, so create training and allow your soldiers to get those reps. Let’s give our troops a chance to master their craft before constantly moving them, and in doing so, continuity of operational knowledge, knowledge management, and better products will be the result.
Believe it or not, you have a lot of your identity (or what you believe yourself to be) tied up in the army. If you are airborne, you know your better than the dirty nasty legs of the world (it’s just a fact and facts don’t have feelings). If you are a CSM, you instantly believe that you are entitled to the respect of the soldiers around you (and you are right). But when you’re a steely eyed death dealer with ice water running through your veins, it’s hard to identify with your new role as a staff weenie. Whatever position, rank, unit, etc. that you are or are in, you have your identity tied to it. So, to prevent burnout you as the leader need to make people proud of that identity. The only reason the Ranger scroll is cool is because we associate it with Ranger BN (which is an awesome unit). Otherwise, it’s just a girly ribbon looking thing. It’s the identity that makes it cool. Those in the unit view themselves as more elite and thus they also hold themselves to higher standards. If your soldiers do not identify with your unit or as the MOS that they are, then you will have a very difficult time motivating them to accomplish their mission.
The last and perhaps most important piece of this all is connection. Connection is the “Band of Brothers.” It’s what drives selfless service and teamwork. If you can create the connection where people fight for each other and enjoy being around one another, then you have created an unstoppable team. For many retirees, connection is what they miss the most. Hanging out with the boys and doing hard stuff together. It is important to plan teambuilding events and foster a culture that allows for connections to be made. This may require risks by (heaven forbid) having socials with alcohol. The army has overlooked connections insisting on integrating soldiers without similar values, interest, geographical locations, etc. This is great for introducing new ideas, having increased civil discourse, and professionalism. Its crap for building connections as “birds of a feather flock together.” As leader, plan ways to build connections into your calendar. As an induvial, find friends, those you share things in common with in your unit, and build those connections. It will only make you happier and more productive.
And there you have it. The five things you need to love any job and defeat burnout. So, the next time you are unhappy with your job, look for ways to achieve these five things. If you are a leader, look for ways to integrate them into your battle rhythm, training calendar, and talent management program.
Love this article? Great! Let me know and I’ll produce more. Hate this article? Well, it’s probably ‘cause you’re new here and haven’t had time to be burned out. Why don’t you go ahead, respond, and let me know why I am wrong.
*This article was written by FUBAR 6. All opinions expressed in this article are that of the author. This article is not endorsed by the Department of Defense, the United States Army, or any other state or government agency. Comments to the author can be submitted below.
[1] Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, 2009