We're guessing that most of us have either experienced feelings of "burn out" at work, and/or have observed it in others. We'll start by sharing a definition provided by Dr. David Ballard of The American Psychological Association: Burn-out is an extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance.

During times of change and uncertainty, and the associated demands, burn out is being experienced in greater volumes because of our inability to manage the stressors.

"You are most vulnerable to burnout when the stresses you experience impact negatively on the things that you find most fulfilling in your job. Not only do you experience the unpleasantness of stress, you lose the job satisfaction that counter-balances this". - MindTools on Stress Management

Across the organization, are you seeing (or experiencing):

• mental fatigue?
• role ambiguity or role conflict?
• unusual demands?
• stressful situations?
• work and output overload/under-load?
• unpredictable behaviors?
• productivity issues related to job security?
• lack of or inappropriate communication?
• withdrawal?

We have the need to feel good about ourselves, be proud of the value we provide, and of our accomplishments. We have a natural drive to "achieve", and in general, confidence levels suffer when we don't meet our own expectations. We're our own harshest critic!

HELPFUL COPING RESOURCES:

Identify what is causing the burn-out and address it. Positively attacking and solving problems, creating solutions, and implementing change will help.

Focus on your demeanor; don't deny or ignore your negative feelings. It's okay to share both negative and positive feelings in a professional manner. Everything is not always sunny.

Build relationships and create a network; get a mentor. Share feelings and work with others to create positive energy.

Be flexible; plan for, and expect change. Be genuine, and be open to changing your behaviors that address and minimize burn-out. The result: productivity and happiness levels will improve.

Don't ignore what you're feeling; take control!

Mike Kubica received his MBA from NSU. After a successful career at American Express he started PeopleTek, a leadership consulting firm. Jan Mayer-Rodriguez is his business partner.

City Managers have a tough job. As a professional manager, they must balance needs and demands of the members of the elected governing body they report to while overseeing the operation of the city they serve. Unlike, officials at the state and Federal levels of government, local officials provide their constituency with a face and a name of a person who is likely to be more responsive to complaints and suggestions on how to fix problems. During the course of a day, the Manager may field calls from elected officials, attorneys, developers, union officials, residents and business people. A resident may want extra attention to a problem that may be real perceived, or a local commissioner doing an intervention on behalf of a developer who is assisting with a pet project. Having to deal so many bosses and multiple interests can be perplexing. The International City Manager’s Association (ICMA) has adopted a Code of Ethics consisting of 12 tenets that will assist Manager’s in developing their own principles to help guide them throughout their career.

The ICMA's Code of Ethics was initially adopted in 1924 and most recently amended in 1998. Many of the tenets also provide guidelines that provide further direction Tenet 5, for example, is to "submit policy proposals to elected officials: provide them with the facts and advice on matters of policy as a basis for making decisions and setting community goals; and uphold and implement local government policies adopted by elected officials". There is a single guideline that accompanies this tenet and that provides advice about avoiding the appearance of conflicts of interest by disclosing the potential conflict to the governing body. Tenet 7 deals with political activities and lists several guidelines relating to the election of public officials, including those involving candidates that the Manager may report to.

The ICMA takes the Code of Ethics further through the use of Rules of Procedure for Enforcement. The rules provide substance to the Code of Ethics by a establishing procedures and process for determining violations of the Code. Members who are found to be in violation can face sanctions up to and including the revocation of a member's credential which can impact the individual Manager’s professional status. This can diminish the qualifications of the individual should they wish to obtain future employment by an entity wishing to maintain or solidify its professional image and reputation.

Steve Seefchak received his Master of Public Administration degree from NSU. He has held command positions in two South Florida city government police departments and is active in accrediting police departments.

Documents:

• ICMA Code of Ethics
• ICMA Rules of Procedure (Amended 2011)