Managing Anxiety and Burnout in Startup Environments

Do you feel unmotivated to take action of any kind? Do you no longer find joy in hobbies or spending time with loved ones? These could be symptoms of burnout, indicating you may be overworking and feeling mentally and physically drained. According to research by Deloitte: 77% of professionals experience burnout in their current jobs. As alarming as this statistic is, the real issue lies in the fact that many of us don't even recognize the signs until it's far too late. Throughout my career, I can recall several instances where in hindsight I experienced burnout. While from the outside I was succeeding in my career, on the inside I was struggling with my mindset, feelings and relationships. I was fortunate to have a strong support network (both professional and personal) that supported me through these struggles. This personal experience made me realize the importance of normalizing speaking about this topic and educating myself and others on prevention and management strategies. To get some practical insights and tips on this topic, I reached out to my friend Dora Vanourek. Dora is a Burnout Coach for Tech Professionals, a LinkedIn Top Voice on Resiliency, and a Senior Consulting Services leader at IBM. Here are 5 invaluable tips she shared on preventing and managing burnout: 1. Recognize Early Signs of Burnout: Burnout does not happen overnight - instead, it slowly creeps in. Watch out for early signs such as exhaustion, emotional overwhelm, disrupted sleep, changes in eating habits, disconnect from social life, reduced motivation and self-care, physical ailments, and reduced performance. 2. Understand and Address Root Causes: Long hours might seem to cause burnout, but they're often just a symptom of deeper issues. Common root causes include feeling undervalued, working in a toxic team environment, lack of autonomy in how you work, perceived unfairness, and a mismatch between job requirements and your values. Addressing these core issues is essential. 3. Engage in Activities: Find an activity that energizes you and helps you disconnect from your work. Aim for at least 15 minutes on most days. Anything you enjoy will be beneficial: walk, exercise, creative hobbies, dancing to favorite songs, gardening, meditation, etc. 4. Incorporate Meaningful Tasks in Your Work: All jobs have less enjoyable tasks. Research shows that you are less likely to burn out if at least 20% of your work is meaningful. An example is mentoring or coaching someone, developing new ideas or developing a training course for others. Everyone finds meaning in different tasks - reflect and find yours. 5. Ask for help: You are never alone. Reach out to a friend or professional. Your company might have employee assistance programs, or point you to available help in your country. Looking for additional insights on the topic? Follow Dora here on LinkedIn. She posts daily on the topics of  burnout, careers, mindset, coaching, and leadership.

This is my third post (a series of 3), around CSM burnout. This post is geared towards those CSMs who are burning out, feel lost, or overwhelmed. I'm writing this as a CSM who has suffered from burnout in the past, and who was able to come out of it. So here's my advice to you, things that I have implemented on my day-to-day to ensure I remain sane. 1. Focus on what you can control: It is easy to become overwhelmed by the multitude of tasks and challenges in CS. Focus on what you can influence and improve. 2. Learn to prioritize your portfolio, do what you can: Not all customers require the same level of attention at all times. Prioritize your portfolio based on factors such as potential impact, urgency, and strategic importance. 3. Share feedback with your leaders, and not just complain... offer solutions: If you're feeling overwhelmed or struggling with certain aspects of your job, don't hesitate to communicate with your leaders. However, it's important to not just complain but also offer constructive solutions or suggestions for improvement. 4. Find a support group of people where you can vent Seek out a support group of peers, whether it's on platforms like Reddit or through connections on LinkedIn. Having a space to share experiences, seek advice, and offer support can help alleviate feelings of isolation and stress. 5. Exercise, practice yoga, meditate: Physical activity and mindfulness practices are powerful tools for managing stress and preventing burnout. Incorporate regular exercise, yoga, or meditation into your routine to help alleviate tension. 6. Find a mentor or a coach who can guide you: Having someone experienced to provide guidance and support can be invaluable in navigating challenges and avoiding burnout. 7. Set boundaries and learn to say no: It's important to recognize your limitations and set boundaries to protect your well-being. Learn to say no to requests or commitments that exceed your capacity or aren't aligned with your priorities. 8. Take regular breaks and disconnect: Breaks are essential for recharging your batteries and maintaining productivity. Schedule regular breaks throughout your day to rest, recharge, and step away from your work. 9. Celebrate successes and practice self-care: It's important to celebrate your achievements and prioritize self-care. Take time to acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how small, and treat yourself with kindness and compassion. 10. Continuously learn and adapt (having a growth mindset): The field of customer success is constantly evolving, and it's essential to stay adaptable and open to learning. Invest in your professional development by seeking out growth opportunities. This is what I've done... and what I keep doing to ensure I'm my best self to keep helping customers succeed.

I’ve learned that setting boundaries at work, while hard, is a form of self-protection – and key to optimizing performance. I have worked at places where the idea of self-protection often elicited an eye-roll; hard-charging, demanding of always more, driving places. If you feel as though you’re constantly drinking from a firehose, then it is up to you to communicate to whomever you need to -  (the Founder, the CEO, your boss, your colleagues, etc.), that you are turning off the spigot. Setting boundaries is a way of taking a beat to assess how you feel, so you can then communicate from a place of emotional distance. Without emotional distance, you will experience burnout, which will spread into every facet of your life. And if you burn out, the hose won’t help you, because you are the one on fire. Find the liminal space between what you feel and what is happening. Take a beat. Set up a conversation with people who need to know what is and what is not possible for you - right now in your work life. From there, you can make a plan to move forward, and if that means somewhere else, so be it. If you don’t know which direction to go, begin with a list of resources – therapists, trusted friends, or colleagues. Seek out a mentor or if possible - hire a coach. But know that without emotional distance, you will feed the fire because what you focus on, is what you give power to, and if that is overwhelming, then burnout is around the corner. Protect yourself. Set boundaries. Take a beat. Don’t fuel the fire. Then you can optimize performance. #mindsetcoaching, #performance #emotionalwellness

I've worked at 3 unicorns. (Zenefits, Flexport and Deel) Which usually means: - Tons of pressure - An insane amount of work - Enough change to make your head spin Here are my best mental health tips as you head into the week: 1. Reduce meeting time. Go through your calendar and remove, reduce the time or push as many meetings as possible. Calendar creep is a real thing. So protect your time respectfully. People will understand. The most important blocks: ↪Monday morning ↪Friday afternoon 2. Pick your number 1 priority. Now that you have more time pick what's most important to execute on. And then make sure to do that thing first. Email can wait. Slack can wait. Trust me, nothing bad will happen if you prioritize the right things. 3. Take breaks. I'm guilty of working non-stop but when I do that I get stressed out and don't do my best work. Use the time you saved in step 1 to get outside, go for a walk, and recharge. 4. Drink less coffee. This one's wild. I went from 8 cups of coffee a day to 1 and my energy got better. Also, my anxiety and stress came down a ton and became a lot more manageable. Maybe it's just me but it's made such a difference that I have to recommend it. Obviously, reduce the amount you drink slowly (it's a process). I know these things sound simple. But in my experience they're some of the most important habits to go when things get crazy. - Mike G 👉 Join 5,000+ sellers getting my (free) sales newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gwQVvVBK

Anxiety is now the top mental health issue in the workplace. As someone with severe OCD and anxiety, I fall into this category. Many people do. This Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to address leaders with a challenge. As a leader, colleague, advisor, investor, or whatever capacity you’re operating in: please consider how you could possibly contribute to this problem and how you could be a part of improving the current state, where you are today. Here’s some suggestions to get you started: 1. Maintain clear communication Someone who is anxious needs predictability, so be clear on expectations, deadlines, etc. 2. Do not micromanage. One of the biggest causes of workplace stress is actually when employees feel they have no control. Be clear on expectations (see point 1), but give your employees autonomy on how to get that work done. 3. Ask. Ask your employees how their workload/ stress level is. If there is stress, do some discovery to understand what the cause is. 4. Discuss reasonable accommodations. Anxiety is an ADA recognized disability and many other countries recognize it similarly. Discuss adjustments or accommodations that could help support the employee. It oftentimes can be something as simple as changing things up to meet communication differences or making small adjustments to the way work is done.

I can’t stand what burnout has done to my team.  Multiple times team became zombies: my sales team dragging, performance dipping, snippy comments in sales meetings,. Then I read that Springboard says a whopping 63% of junior employees feel like they’re running a marathon at work every day. Now, why am I even talking about this? Many colleagues think burnout just comes with the territory, a necessary evil if you’re trying to be successful, especially in hard-charging startups. I disagree. First off, burnout is a business headache. When my team cracks under pressure, rockstars walk, leaving me with team holes. Plus, burnout is contagious – I feel horrible at work when chaotic days cause my team to despair.  We started making it through the dark tunnel when I painted a crystal clear picture for my team around their daily work routine: what to sell that week, performance measures, who handles each deal step, etc. Guess what? It worked! My team started getting better sleep, cracking jokes on the sales desk between calls, and confidently referring their closed deals to the operations desk for execution. Because the big villain for our sales team was a lack of CLARITY. While I can't control everything—market forces, product issues, supply chains—I consistently clarify what I can for my team. This creates a space where they can confidently operate, get momentum, and renew their energy. Clarity is my superhero power against burnout!

The hack of taking ‘mini-vacations’ to combat burnout and boost productivity. As the founder of Parker, a fast growing fintech, I've faced my fair share of burnout. It wasn't until I understood the difference between relaxation and recovery that I truly began to manage my energy and focus effectively. Key Highlights: • Understanding Burnout: Recognizing the perpetual fight-or-flight mode of startup life and the toll this lifestyle takes on our minds and bodies. • The Power of Recovery: Realizing the crucial role of deep sleep and the need for active recovery methods to combat chronic stress and exhaustion. • Transformation Through Retreat: Discovering the transformative impact of a 4-day retreat and the stark contrast to ‘typical relaxation methods’ like social media and Netflix binges. • Small Habits, Big Shifts: Incorporating restorative practices in weekly routine and witnessing a boost in focus and output during the workday. So, my advice to other founders is to switch from passive relaxation to active recovery. Start by taking ‘mini-vacations’ once a week and commit to daily practices that will have profound impacts on your productivity and well-being. Here’s my full essay for more actionable insights: https://lnkd.in/eDb_R4DR

I never took burnout seriously until my world spun out of control in Barcelona. Here's how a terrifying anxiety attack and a rush to the hospital changed everything about how I view mental health and productivity: Juggling roles in marketing and sales at a startup, I was living the hustle culture. What felt like invincibility quickly spiraled into an overwhelming anxiety attack, mistaking it for a heart attack. That day, racing to the hospital, I realized the harsh truth about neglecting mental health. This pivotal moment led me on a journey of self-care and mindfulness. Among the tools that reshaped my life, these stand out: ➡️ Waking Up by Sam Harris: My current favorite, offering profound meditative guidance. ➡️ Headspace: Ideal for beginners; it helped me establish a meditation routine. ➡️ Mind Spa (formerly Synctuition): Paired with microdosing, it offered unparalleled clarity. ➡️ Endel: Perfect for focus sessions with its deep electronic soundscapes. ➡️ Brain fm: My wife's choice, offering a wider variety of genres. But tools alone weren't enough. Thanks to Oliva's insightful article and Catalina Pearce's advice, I embraced crucial changes: ➡️ Pause and Reflect: Take moments to breathe and assess your emotions. ➡️ See Your Whole Self: Recognize that you're more than your productivity. ➡️ Re-prioritize: Balance your life across health, relationships, leisure, and work. ➡️ Shed the Guilt: Setting boundaries is essential, not selfish. This journey taught me the true strength in acknowledging and prioritizing mental health. The old me thought toughness was about pushing through. Now, I know it's about working smarter and caring for oneself. What strategies do you use to maintain a healthy work-life balance and mental well-being? Big thanks to Oliva for their incredible support in this journey. #mentalhealth #growth #tools

What do some of the most successful startups have in common? They moved fast and broke things. For early-stage startups, speed is crucial. It’s never been easier to build products, so companies have to move quickly to beat the competition. However, moving quickly often means acting recklessly. It’s time to rethink the ‘move fast and break things’ mantra. Here’s why: Problem 1 - Lack of Diversity Leads → Poor Decision-Making Moving fast often goes hand in hand with raising substantial VC rounds and quickly assembling a team of what's considered the 'best people' for the job. However, this approach has a downside. Most founders who secure significant VC funding fit a certain profile – often straight white men. Consequently, they tend to hire individuals with whom they're familiar or who share similar backgrounds. The result? Teams that move fast and break things while looking remarkably homogeneous. Without diverse perspectives in the room, there's no one to raise a flag when decisions take a potentially harmful turn. Early-stage startups should prioritize diversity in their hiring processes and advisory boards from day one to mitigate the risks associated with poor decision-making. Problem 2 - Employee Burnout Many startups that found themselves embroiled in scandals related to unfair and discriminatory workplace practices were all too eager to move as fast as possible. Speed comes at a price, and that price often manifests as employee burnout. If you're joining a startup, you should be prepared for the pace to be faster than what you'd find in a traditional 9-5 job. That's certainly the case for us at Chezie. The average timeline for a VC-level exit is 7-10 years. Startups are marathons, not sprints, and you can't sprint through a marathon. The most valuable asset an early-stage startup possesses is its team. Therefore, it's imperative to prioritize employee well-being. If you're at the helm of an early-stage startup, engage with your team to discover what initiatives could enhance their well-being. Consider options like company-sponsored therapy, implementing four-day work weeks twice a month, or organizing team-building activities outside of work hours. Get creative! Problem 3 - Someone Loses When we break things in our push for speed, it's important to realize that someone loses. Often, the ones who suffer are historically marginalized groups, like immigrant taxi drivers who face displacement with rideshare companies' rise. When you do the breaking, you rarely consider the consequences. What I'd like to see from my generation of companies is a shift in mindset. We should think deeply about who or what our technologies might displace and actively seek ways to incorporate these disadvantaged individuals or groups into our solutions. In conclusion, while 'move fast and break things' has its merits, we have to move fast with intention to avoid the issues startups of old have faced.