As a public leadership coach, I work with many public administrators, political candidates, and elected leaders who question if they are making a difference in their roles, if the impact they have is worth the stress, and whether it’s time to walk away.
This summer, a survey of 850 election officials in the U.S revealed that 1 in 6 planned to retire and 1 in 3 felt unsafe in their jobs. In November, a National League of Cities (NLC) report showed that 81 percent of public officials surveyed experienced harassment, threats and violence. After leaving public office, I described my own experience with harassment and threats in this Glamour magazine interview. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms described the problem well in an interview for NLC’s report: “People are choosing emotional and mental health and well-being over public service, and that is a dangerous point for us to be in as a country.”
Anxiety, burnout, and compassion fatigue are among the reasons public servants are choosing to walk away. This was partly why I left politics. A 2020 study conducted by UC Berkley’s People Lab found that “1 in 3 public servants are burnt out, 1 in 4 are experiencing moderate to severe anxiety, and 1 in 5 are experiencing compassion fatigue.” One of the main causes for this trend, according to the People Lab study, was workers’ concern that they can’t make a difference in government. This fear definitely resonates with me and many of the people I’ve coached.
As someone who suffered from public service burnout, I believe that there comes a point at which people do need to walk away. But, we should not make that decision when we’re emotionally, physically, and mentally overwhelmed. Before making life-changing decisions, particularly walking away from public service roles, consider taking the following steps to improve your well-being and reduce the burnout that may influence your choices.
In 2021, career coach Melissa Furman recommended four steps to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL):
- Address Your Basic Needs: Ask yourself what would make you feel safer and more secure in your role then inform your supervisors or department leaders of your needs.
- Deciding What To Change: Begin establishing healthier boundaries. Make connections with people that can support you through difficult periods. Look for places where you can alter your perspective on your work.
- Allow Yourself Time To Heal: Find time for relationships outside of your work. Don’t neglect physical exercise. Relax.
Of course, if you’re already feeling overwhelmed, this list might seem impossible. Nevertheless, if you’re neglecting to take these steps, it’s likely contributing to your burnout, anxiety and fatigue. That said, Melissa’s fourth step is one I believe can make the others easier, and it’s one that I most often focus on with public leaders.
- Identify What Makes You Happy, or as I like to say it, Know Who You Are and What You Value.
Knowing the values that makeup who you are can help you reconnect or discover the purpose you hold. If you can connect these values or that purpose to your work, it can counter the feelings of hopelessness you might otherwise experience. If you can’t, it may be time to consider moving on. Either way, understanding what you value is an important first step that many of us who serve(d) in government lose sight of.
Over the last year, I’ve been conducting research on how understanding identities, purpose, and values help us better navigate public leadership challenges and help us survive as public servants. I look forward to sharing more ideas in the weeks ahead!
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