Steve Harveys diva letter shows what happens when bosses burn out

Steve Harveys diva letter shows what happens when bosses burn outSteve Harveys diva letter shows what happens when bosses burn outComedian Steve Harvey needs a vacation.Hisrecently-surfaced email memo to employees - outlining strict conduct rules in a hostile tone - has made waves by showing what happens when managers are pushed to the limit by demands on their time.Harvey reportedly sent the letter employees at the beginning of Season 5 of The Steve Harvey Show, which is moving to Los Angeles soon, according to Robert Feders Chicago media blog. Today is the last day of the shows production in Chicago, and the entire 80-person staff is being laid off.Harvey isnt taking any of the staff with him to Los Angeles, which has caused some resentment.Variety reported that, sources say thememo mayhave been leaked by a former staff member, who may notlage have been not invited to work on thenew LA-based show.More importantly, whatever the source of the leak, the memo from Harvey is an instru ctive one for overworked managers everywhere. There are good and badeanstalt ways to communicate with employees, and the memo crossed the line to the negative side. While its clear that Harvey feels like hes under a lot of pressure, his communication came off as hostile - even if the intent was good.What was in theemailThe language Harvey used says a lot about his emotional state at the time it was written.I have been taken advantage of by my lenient policy in the past. This ends now. NO MORE. Do not approach me while Im in the makeup chair unless I ask to speak with you directly. Either knock or use the doorbell.Do not wait in any hallway to speak to me. I hate being ambushed. Please make an appointment.Nor does Harvey regret any of it.One of Harveys commentson the letter to ET was I just didnt want to be in this prison anymore where I had to be in this little room, scared to go out and take a breath of fresh air without somebody approaching me, so I wrote the letterI dont apologi ze about the letter, but its kind of crazypeople who took this thing and ran, man. I appreciate you asking me.Hostile language doesnt encourage teamworkNotice any patterns in the language? Its easy to recognize that its pretty hostile, with Harvey implying that his staff is out to get him when they seek him out. He repeats ambushing in the email, suggested he is feeling besieged, and the all-caps moments suggest he is angry.Harvey also uses passive voice while saying hes been taken advantage of - as if something was happening to him, not him putting the action in motion. He puts forward a strong me vs. them mentality - where them means his own staff helping him look good on the show.Harvey ends the email with,Everyone, do not take offense to the new way of doing business. It is for the good of my personal life and enjoyment,before thanking them, but at this point, its too late for cordiality- hes already built up a strong hypothetical fortress to protect himself from his own emplo yees.Burnout in actionWhile many will read the memo as Harvey being a terrible leader, theres another possibility hes a boss whos about to burn out. Yes, Harvey, in addition to being a celebrity, is also in essence the CEO of his own brand - and hes stretched very thin. In addition to the show, he has a lot of constraints on his time, like hosting the Miss Universe Pageant (where he mistakenly crowned Miss Colombia the winner in 2015). Its easy to understand why he might be trying to get some quiet time for himself and rebalance.But heres where Harveys technique is a problemthe tone of this email doesnt work in his favor. Instead of encouraging his staff to work hard and protect his time, Harvey pushes them away and dismisses them as annoyances.Work martyrs in the officeHarveys behavior mirrors that of the classic work martyr, a personality quirk that is nearly inevitable for anyone who has a tendency to work hard and take on more commitments. In this mindset, the hard worker start s to believe hes the only one giving it his all, disparaging others as less hard-working and consequential.According to Ty Tucker, CEO of performance management platform REV, a work martyr is someone who is typically concerned with the number of hours theyve worked, not the outcomes they have created.Work martyrdom is complicated to spot, since it frequently manifests among high achievers who give over their time and identity to their jobs. It is frequently a sign of burnout, an idea of look how much I give, and no one appreciates it.Even worse, the American culture of overwork encourages work martyrdom.Astudy by GfK and Project Time Off found that 39% of workers surveyed reported that they want their manager to see them as a work martyr. Yet 86% reported thinking that it is a bad thing to be seen as a work martyr by their family.Dee Elliott Consulting posted a document on this topic, whicheven includes a questionnaire developed by Dr Nathan Anthony from The Insight Network, to see where you are on the office martyr scale.It also offersadvice for leaders managing people like this- keeping track of how much work they do and getting together with them everyday (first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon to make sure that you areconfident that their workload is reasonable to their ability). It adds that work martyrs frequently oversell what they bring to the table in job interviews, and that people assume they wont turn down assignments, so they do in fact get taken advantage of.The roles of speech and eye contactStill, work martyrs, especially as bosses, have a long and storied history. Harveysdemands for staff to stay away are similar to those made by other leaders in various fields.In an article about Secretary of State Rex Tillerson,The Washington Post reported that many career diplomats say they still have not met him, and some have been instructed not to speak to him directly - or even make eye contact.Its similar at Vogue, according to lore.In a 2006 article by The Guardian about the film The Devil Wears Prada, (the boss character is based on Anna Wintour) the publication reported, one US Vogue intern was famously told never to make eye contact with Wintour or to initiate a conversation. One day the terrified girl witnessed the editor tripping up in the corridor but wastoo scared to offer help. She stepped over Wintours prone form and carried on walking.A managers actions and words set the tone for employees- whether he or she is a celebrity or not. But in this case, Steve Harveys words spoke much louder than his actions.How to stop being a work martyr, as an employee or a leaderWork martyrdom usually has a very specific cause workers start putting work before every other aspect of their lives, including family and friends. Work martyrs draw most of their identity from their jobs, and when theyre doing well at work, thats all they need to keep going.If youre a leader, learn to spot work martyrdom in others and yourself se nding 3 am emails frequently emphasizing the hours youre putting in implying that no one else is working harder than you acting as if everyone else is just trying to take advantage of your time. All of this behavior puts the martyrs needs above the goals of the company or the team- which is not only selfish and disrespectful to others, but slows down everyones progress. If other people feel less valued, theyre likely not to do good work. And the work martyr can never feel properly reciprocated for what they see as their outsize sacrifice.Then, step back.Theres an easy answer to ending work martyrdom and its language of hostility Dont give more of yourself to work than youre getting back in either pay or fulfillment. Everyone, no matter how important, should have a life and relationships outside work. When you feel that no one could possibly reciprocate or match all the work you do, its time to step back and get some perspective. Take a vacation, or even a walk outside. Just dont ta ke it out on everyone else.