Image Management and Burnout - Not Wanting Others to Think Poorly of Us Comes With a Cost

The connection between image management and burnout is all about putting off taking the steps we know we need to because we don't want to disappoint other people.

Once example would be the challenge of preventing teacher burnout. We want to meet expectations to provide the very best education to the children in our classes. Parents expect it. Subtly our focus shifts from the children to the parents and we lose our original vision and passion.

We have bought into the performance trap, that is, we are performing for others. We are managing our image so that they will be pleased with us. Because we don't want to disappoint them, we continue on in a course of action that is actually doing harm to us.

Performance for others is no doubt costing our economy billions of dollars per year in lost productivity. It has a huge price emotionally and the results spill out into every aspect of the workplace.

The cost may be even higher in our private lives as we try to please those around us. Sometimes we even allow the dead to control our lives, still trying to live up to some expectation of years ago from a parent or other person who hasn't been around for years.

There is a great need just to be you. Avoiding career burnout requires it. You may not much like who that is right away. It will take some time getting used to the new you. But in the end you will be much happier not living the dual life.

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