The book will be appealing to managers, leaders and HR professionals who wish to become acquainted with the phenomenon of burnout and look for specific, well-validated methods for recognizing risks in the work environment. Furthermore, it provides practical advice and solutions on how to increase employees' motivation, vigor and commitment to the team and organization.
Stela Salminen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
This book is unique in that it provides an approach to organizational burnout with specific guidelines and solutions for making the organization function more efficiently for both managers and employees.
Elissa Levine, Psychotherapist/Clinical Social Worker, Washington D.C, USA
I believe this book contributes to a new understanding of burnout and how it is a huge concern in the workplace today. This book definitely stimulates the mind to the concern of burnout and I believe that it will be very useful in helping combat burnout for those that take the time to read it
Kevin McCall, ADP Talent Management, Tucson, USA
Russell and Liggans provide a principle-based approach to leadership that delineates the factors which lead to the exhaustion and reduced effectiveness created by burnout. While thoroughly evidence-based, practical steps are given to move team members from burnout to active engagement. Fired Up! is a foundational resource every leader will highly value.
Paul White, Ph.D., Psychologist; President, Appreciation at Work; and best-selling author, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
Fired Up! tackles in a very practical and inspiring way one of the most pressing challenges of our time. People have been disengaged, over-worked, and stressed for too long in the workplace. Now is the time to fire up our imaginations and energy to change the way we work and the way we think about work. Start the process with this book.
Stuart Crainer, Thinkers50 co-founder
Fired Up! is a smart and accessible work that provides an effective framework that can help leaders address burnout within their teams and organizations. In the wake of the Great Resignation, this book could not be more timely.
Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret, When, and To Sell is Human
Contents
Acknowledgments XI
Preface XVII
Introduction XIX
Part I: A stronghold
Chapter 1
Burnout matters 3
Burnout as a global phenomenon 3
You can count the costs 4
Nobody is immune to burnout 5
Burnout is an organizational problem 6
The casualties of burnout 7
Managing burnout requires leadership 9
Chapter 2
Why we work - in general and in organizations 11
Wake, work, sleep, and repeat 11
Division of labor and productivity 12
Everyone wants meaningful work 14
Organizations need motivated employees 15
Motivating the masses 17
Chapter 3
Your work environment and well-being 19
The surroundings tell the story 20
A focus on what is positive and effective 21
Key characteristics of the work environment 25
Job demands 25
Job resources 26
Organizational support 27
The dynamic work environment 27
Current realities 28
Span of control 37
Part II: A trench and the oasis
Chapter 4
Burnout - the making of a concept 41
The three dimensions of burnout 41
What burnout is not 43
The causes and consequences of burnout 43
What every leader and manager needs to know 46
So, what next? 46
Chapter 5
Work engagement 47
A most desirable state 47
The causes and consequences of work engagement 49
An essential focus for organizations 51
From an individual focus to your team's work engagement 51
So, what next? 53
Part III: Minding the gap
Chapter 6
Shifting from burnout to engagement 57
The Organization-Job-Personal (OJP) framework 57
Three steps 60
Chapter 7
Step 1 - Assess 63
Bringing it all together 69
Chapter 8
Step 2 - Acknowledge 70
Ideating strategies 70
OJP potential strategies and solutions 75
Bringing it all together 77
Chapter 9
Step 3 - Act 78
Brick by brick, build a plan 78
Assess, acknowledge, act, and repeat 81
Keep the flame burning 84
Bringing it all together 84
Chapter 10
Self-audit, self-care, and self-compassion 85
Support tools 87
Afterword 91
Endnotes 93
Appendix I
The Organization-Job-Personal (OJP) framework 101
Appendix II
Work environment assessment 102
Appendix III
Leader assessment analysis form 103
Appendix IV
Acknowledge - guiding questions table 104
Appendix V
OJP strategy chart 105
Appendix VI
OJP potential strategies and solutions chart 106
Appendix VII
Timeframe 124
Appendix VIII
Fired Up! Action Plan 126
Appendix IX
Self-care BINGO card 127
Appendix X
Create-Your-Own BINGO card 128
Appendix XI
Guiding questions for training and facilitation 129
Appendix XII
Resources 131
List of figures 133
List of tables 135
Further reading 137
About the authors 151
Index 153
Mia Baytop Russell, PhD has served in various roles across nonprofit, academic, and corporate sectors. Currently, as lecturer in the Center for Leadership Education at Johns Hopkins University, she teaches leadership and management courses. Drawing from personal interests and challenges with work-life integration and work-family conflict, Mia has spent decades exploring well-being in multiple contexts. Her research focuses on the sustainability of well-being, specifically family economic well-being and career/work-related well-being. As a contributor to the field of financial education and organizational behavior, Mia has published dozens of interdisciplinary articles, developed programs, and consulted with organizations.
Girvin Liggans, PhD is an expert in policy analysis and a lecturer in the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University where he teaches management, leadership, and technical communication. Rooted in decades of work within public health agencies, Girvin is dedicated to advancing health equity and employee well-being through a focus on evidence-informed decision-making in public and organizational policy. His research is multidisciplinary and spans environmental health, organizational behavior, legal epidemiology, and diversity and inclusion. Girvin holds an MS in Environmental Health Science from the University of Michigan along with a BS in Environmental Science and PhD in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.