Burn out: douse that smouldering feeling

Custom Home, July-August, 2002 by Al Trellis

SCENARIO: Business had been good for the past year, and Barry Builder had taken on more jobs than ever. without an increase in employees. This led to excellent profits for Barry, but also to long hours and a feeling that he was bouncing from job to job. A week ago, new buyers walked through the door. They were nice people who had made a lot of money last year, and were willing to pay whatever it took to build their dream home. Barry couldn't say no.

Normally Barry would have been thrilled to take on clients like the Johnstons, but the thought of this project filled him with dread. He already felt like an absentee husband and father, and all his superintendents were maxed out. In addition, he didn't know where he would find another framing crew. Plus, not all his clients were nice folks like the Johnstons. The Helgards were pure torture. They never made decisions on time, changed them as soon as they were made, and became hysterical when any little thing went wrong.

Barry was having a hard time sleeping at night and could hardly drag himself out of bed in the morning. He felt he needed to get away--not for a few days or a week, but for a month or even a year. He had always thought that building houses was fun, but it wasn't fun anymore.

SOLUTION: There is no simple solution to builder burnout. As burnout progresses. Barry will be become less and less effective, which will exacerbate the problem. And not only is Barry burnt out, his superintendents likely are burnt out as well. Here are some steps Barry can take to protect his business and possibly even his health.

Step 1: Take a deep breath. Barry needs a day away from the office to regroup and plan which projects he's going to do and which he can get rid of. He needs to figure out who he can delegate some of his work to. Perhaps he can delegate some administrative work to office staff, or unload some of the difficult client issues to an employee who isn't so overloaded. He needs to determine if anyone has the necessary ability to take over some of his roles.

Step 2: Assess the damage. How many other people in the company are suffering from this problem? Barry should ask them for ideas about how best to solve the problem. He may even consider outside assistance to help him understand his situation.

Step 3: Make a burnout-proof plan. Barry must find a volume of work that is both profitable and manageable. Then he has to turn down any new work until he gets to that level. Eventually he will need to figure out how to increase that level through hiring more people and improving procedures, which should include a more selective process for acquiring clients.

Step 4: Carry out that plan. Barry may have to tough it out for a few months until some jobs are completed, but knowing that there is an end to his crushing workload can make it bearable for a while. If everyone agrees that more employees are needed, he should start searching for new hires as soon as possible. He might begin by hiring assistants for existing managers, who will train the new employees by delegating part of their responsibility. That will free up the chain of command to take over some of Barry's burden.

Step 5: Make time for fun. Barry could shut down the office for a day and take the group out to the amusement park, a baseball game, or whatever turns them on. One of the best antidotes for burnout is knowing that your efforts are appreciated by others. Barry's employees need to know that he appreciates their efforts.

Burnout can have severe repercussions on family, marriage, and productivity. The time to deal with burnout is when you first feel its effects, not months later when you're nothing but a blackened cinder.

Al Trellis, a co-founder of Home Builders Network, has more than 25 years of experience as a custom builder, speaker, and consultant.