What John Wooden’s Socks Teach Us About Executive Burnout

How does being "present" reduce executive burnout?

Chronic multitasking directly accelerates burnout. To combat this, executives must practice radical presence by dedicating distraction-free time to ideation, deeply listening during meetings without backchanneling, and taking daily completely disconnected breaks away from screens and devices.

“Because it’s the little details that make the big things come about.”

Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden has a famous instruction he gave to his players at UCLA, including hall-of-fame player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; put your socks on correctly so you don’t get blisters.

Coach Wooden was trying to teach his players how to prevent an injury, but he indirectly taught them an important tool to deal with burnout: be present and in the moment.

For most of us, putting on our socks is just another mindless chore as we tick off the list of things we need to do to get ourselves ready for the day.

Today, some of us completely skip the socks and shoes as we are working from home through COVID-19.

But fall is coming, the chilly days will be here soon enough, and on the socks will go again.

If you’ll allow me to be literal and figurative for a moment, as we put on our socks, can we be more prescriptive and present while doing so?

This month, before we head into a busy fall and winter, let’s focus on:

Being present when we ideate.

Thomas Edison said “The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.”

During this era of turmoil throughout COVID-19, we are growing accustomed to the software and online services that make virtual brainstorming with others easier. It helps solve one problem but ultimately creates another. What about how we ideate? It’s been said, “the best thinking is done in the shower.” I don’t have scientific proof that’s true, but I agree with the sentiment. It’s a time in which we can process our thoughts with few interruptions.

When was the last time you brainstormed an idea with as few distractions as possible? No computer, no phone, no smartwatch, no television, no music. How novel, right?

My advice: schedule 30-60 minutes per week with no distractions for you to think about an opportunity you need to flesh out further or a problem you need to solve. By yourself!

This is important because we also need to focus on…

Being present as a trusted advisor.

Vanilla Ice’s “All right, stop. Collaborate, and listen” has another rewarding benefit other than his classic “Ice Ice Baby” 1990s song lyric. Examine your calendar this week. What’s the next meeting you have that you can truly be present in? By “present” I mean, no typing on the keyboard, no backchannel Slack conversations trying to figure out what the client is referring to, or any of the dozens of other ways we multitask during meetings. This time, you’re focusing on nothing else but the person on the other end of the mobile device or laptop. You’re listening intently, taking notes when necessary, but being present throughout.

None of this matters, however, if we are not…

…Being present for our health.

I’ve written in the past about walk and talk meetings, taking Zoom calls while exercising, or riding your stationary bike while watching (or giving) a webinar. Today, I am talking about a different form of exercise. This is about your mental wellbeing. Grant yourself 10 minutes per day to go on a walk, by yourself, with no form of electronics attached to you. Focus on all your senses. The perspective and energy you can gain from this are without rival.

Focusing on ourselves isn’t something that can just “wait until September,” “after COVID-19 goes away,” or “January 2021.” It’s something we can do now, will help with our family and our career, costs nothing and takes little time. The pressures will come and go in our personal and professional lives, but if we don’t take care of ourselves, those pressures will only compound.

Eleanor Roosevelt said it best: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You can say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.’”

Right now, we need simple solutions to live through the burnout of experiencing this horror of COVID-19. Look no further than examining how we’re spending our life and doing so with a little more care and attention that we have in the past.

We all put our socks on one at a time. Let’s take a few extra moments for ourselves next time we do so.

3 Daily Wellness Habits for the Remote Executive

How can remote executives build healthy daily boundaries?

Working from home seamlessly blurs the line between personal rest and professional obligation, drastically accelerating burnout. Remote executives can reclaim their mental health by implementing three daily habits: blocking 60 minutes of "no distraction" deep work, transitioning one meeting into a physical "walk and talk," and scheduling intentional connected check-ins.

In January, I urged you to take time off. Fast forward six months. Today, COVID-19 has directly or indirectly impacted not only our time but our mental and physical health as well. My message from January still stands, however; we still need an escape from work. Taking a physical and mental break from our work this summer has never been more important. As we have all learned, home does not = a break/vacation.

While on deadline writing this column, there was this cute, tiny distraction who kept getting in my way: my 10-month-old sweet puppy Molly!

As much as I love to hang out with her, when Molly wants my attention it’s tough to focus on work. Who says no to such a sweet puppy, even on deadline!

Throughout the pandemic, I have evolved my mindset for the times when she tries to get my attention during the day. When I take time out to play fetch, rub her belly, and give her all the attention she deserves, I have focused on the benefits, not the burden. Ultimately, she expends a lot of energy so she can nap, I enjoy playing with her and my mental and physical state is improved!

My advice? Get a dog! Problem solved!

Ok, not so fast. As easy as it might sound to simply tell all of you to get a pet, that’s not practical or realistic.

However, what I CAN tell you is that you are in more control of your wellness than you realize.

If you do these three things EVERY DAY, you will continue to thrive in your career and spend quality time with your family while prioritizing your health and wellness. It’s a win-win-win!

First, identify your daily “no distraction” time. Is your calendar “open” all day, every day? If so, you are sending two messages:

1) “I am always here to help!” I understand! We are in public relations, a service industry. We want to be available! However, it leads to:

2) “I will prioritize everyone and everything over myself.”

We need to evolve past this self-perception that we aren’t doing our jobs if we aren’t available all the time. Setting boundaries will not only improve your health and wellbeing, it will show others that you are creating a standard for them to follow.

I recommend blocking off at least 30-60 minutes every day that can’t be used for meetings. Find the best time that you can benefit from no distractions.

Second, identify your daily “walk and talk” time. I recommend auditing the next five days of meetings that are scheduled. Identify one meeting per day that you can take as a walk and talk meeting, vs. sitting at your desk or conference room. Some of my walk and talks are for business, however many of my walk and talks are family time with my wife Christine and Molly to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Our walk and talks are scheduled during business hours, yet it is sacred to our family. We only cancel or postpone in case of an emergency.

Your walk and talk meeting – whether it’s virtual or in-person - should be planned for and scheduled during the day.

Finally, identify your “connection” time. As an extrovert throughout COVID-19, it has been TOUGH for me not to be around people – so I’ve had to find new ways to stay social! Even with today’s sophisticated communications technologies, I have dug DEEP to stay out of the doldrums.

Throughout quarantine, I check in every few days with a select group of people. I block off 30 minutes at least 2-3 days per week to send messages. Recipients are a mixture of friends, current and former clients, former colleagues, and trusted advisors.

I ask how they are doing. They push me, I push them. They empower me, I empower them.

This has helped me immensely to stay mentally healthy through this time, and I guarantee I will stay connected with them this summer and beyond.