Meet Kami Rita
This is Kami Rita. Kami just set a world record that he himself set. On May 7th of this year, Kami reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 26th time. His first summit happened in 1994 as a young 24 year-old. And like clockwork, every April he makes another climb as a sherpa and tour guide to the top of the mountain. He learned the mountain climbing business from other people in his village, his mentor helped Sir Edmund Hillary make it to the summit in 1953.
No doubt it’s dangerous work. And his choice of vocation is not something that the family is wild about. In a 2018 press report, Mr. Rita’s wife, Lakpa Jangmu was quoted as saying: "I keep telling him we could look for other jobs, start a small business. But he does not listen to me at all."
I read a story like this and it makes me wonder if Mr. Rita ever suffers from burnout. I only think about it because I know I did at one time.
When Kami first reached that summit in 1994, I bet it was an amazing feeling. Here was, one of the few people that actually stood on top of the world. All of the climbing, the cold, the thin air, the danger….all of it paid off to go to a place many dream but few actually make. It had to be exhilarating!
Does the same feeling ecstasy still exist after the 26th time? Does the “been there, done that” ever set in? Does it ever get, you know, boring?
Suffering Burnout
In a previous job, I worked in local government. It was an enjoyable job. I had a good rapport with the residents and my skills were put to good use. I was officially the “Development Program Manager”, but what that really meant was I was the city’s grant writer. I had the job at the height of the Great Recession and I’ll be the first to admit, the job was a bit tenuous. Financially, things were very tight in the community. Expenses were outpacing revenues and the dollars I brought in were critical for major projects to be completed. Of all the folks in the government, I felt that I was truly in a “pay for performance” type of environment. If I didn’t bring in the money, I was afraid I could be let go.
And bring in the money I did. All told, I had dozens of proposals funded. Everything from road paving to tearing down a hospital. I even received funding for a specialized boat that cut down weeds in water. It was a good feeling not only getting those proposals funded, but seeing the good work being done by those proposals.
I had a friend ask me at lunch, “Do you get the same feeling from the last proposal you had funded as from the first proposal you ever had funded?" Is there a different feeling from raising $1 million to $2 million?”
I answered honestly. “The feeling wears off. That first million you bring in, it’s exciting. You feel like you are really making a difference. But each proposal that gets funded, you know you are just setting yourself up. People start to think it’s easier than what it is. You start to lose the enthusiasm and it turns into a grind.”
It was at that point, I finally put into words something I knew I had been feeling…burnout.
Sometimes Moving On Is The Best Thing To Do
The longer I stayed in that organization, the more I learned that I was stuck. I had the credentials and the experience to advance in the organization, but I also realized that I was very valuable where I was to the organization. It became abundantly clear, it was easier to replace someone higher on the organizational chart than myself.
If I wanted to move up, I needed to move on. And that was a hard reality to come to terms with. I loved the residents, I loved the role, I loved the things I was learning. But, I slowly knew that burnout was real and I wasn’t doing anyone any favors by sticking around.
Maybe you are in the same spot I was in. My only advice is to think about where you are and if you can envision a future that is better than where you are in your organization, perhaps you haven’t hit the burnout zone. Sure, we all have difficult seasons, but we know those will come to an end and better days will be upon us soon.
But, if you can’t see a better future where you are, it’s probably time to find a better future elsewhere. You will thank you future self for it.
I have had my say, what’s yours? Feel free to like, comment and share this point and drop me a line at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com
Stay Well,
Bill