How are you feeling as 2010 comes to an end? Exhilarated by the successes of a year nearly over? Full of energy and excitement at the thought of doing it all again in 2011? Or are you feeling run down, overloaded, or – in the worst case – burnt out? I’ve worked with a number of leaders this year who reported either past experiences of burnout, or who were showing many of its forerunner symptoms! Interestingly enough, many of them were leaders who were still trying at some level to fulfil the impossible role of a hero leader: the leader who knows it all and does it all – alone!

The days of the hero leader are over. In fact, a hero leader is a liability in today’s global corporate world, where global interaction, sharing and delegation are keys to success. Life has become far too complex for any one individual to go it alone, and just trying can become a serious health hazard. In my opinion, quite apart from the ability to delegate, every leader needs a strategic support group, a ‘secret army’ to provide special support where it is needed, and to help avoid the overloading that can lead to burnout. So as 2010 approaches its close, I want to introduce you to at least a few members of my secret army!

Every day, I interact with international companies. One wants a training outline or schedule, another needs a contract or a tender. All these documents, as well as the lengthier training documentation handouts I prepare for my training programs, have to look extremely professional. They are often the first picture of my company which my client company sees. I delegated the task of creating the blueprints for all these documents to the company mediaviso in Zürich (Höschgasse 38, 8034 Zürich; +41 (0)44 421 21 51 / info@mediaviso.ch).
My contact at the company, Yves Baumgartner, is reliable, professional, and an absolute expert in his field. He has been an invaluable part of my army this year, and has saved me a huge amount of time. The expense has been well worth it!

Working as a professional speaker, I need to look after my voice. When I need external help with vocal issues, or information in this area for my clients, I work with André Cardinaux in Zürich. André is an internationally recognised vocal coach and former opera singer. Many of my clients who have had vocal problems have consulted André and profited greatly from his expertise: acardi@gmx.ch / info@speakingsolutions.ch

I often hold preparation meetings with members of my training team or the board of my charity, Ethiopian Enterprises, in my office space in Langnau. In the same house, we have a professional Thai cook – Patcharee Intharotjana. Her private catering company (www.thaiessen-zuhause.ch) provides a private Thai food catering service. As there is no restaurant in our immediate vicinity, she is a godsend. Patcharee cooks for me and my co-workers on a regular basis, and is very popular with us all as her cooking is sensational. I have engaged her to cook for larger events at other locations as well, and the results are always excellent. Everyone has been happy with her cooking, which outclasses several popular Thai restaurants in the city. If you want authentic Thai catering in your own home or business venue, take a look at her website.

Finally, I have an excellent web designer in my army who has recently also designed the web for my charity Ethiopian Enterprises after having assisted me with two business websites and my blog site in the past. However, as he has now moved into a company position and is no longer accepting freelance work, I won’t provide his details here. I’ll just say a big thank-you to him for his efforts as part of my secret army. Thank you, Can.

So there it is – or at least part of it! My secret army saves me effort on a daily basis, and has paid for itself many times over! Look around you as the year comes to an end. Are there people with whom you could link up to improve your services, and theirs? Might it be worth hiring the services of an expert to help you in an area where your own skills just don’t make the grade? Doing so will almost certainly remove some of your load, and allow you to focus on the leadership activity in which you are the expert! You can profit greatly by collaborating with those whose expertise is different to your own, and who can help you to improve your work and results!

In the new year, we’ll be returning to the subject of leader burnout, and hearing from two experts in this field who will be introducing you to some important preventive and recovery options. Until then, as the Swiss say:
‘Have a good slide into the new year’ – and a safe landing!