Corporate Burnout and Debt Stress – Do You Need a Coach Or a Doctor?

Stress is the buzzword of the twenty-first century. Corporate executives and entrepreneurs face constant challenges as they strive to achieve higher goals with increased competition, progressively limited resources, and the same manpower. Burnt-out, energy-depleted, or constantly stressed, many find themselves unable to take pleasure in their hard-earned position.

As a strategic solution, I suggest to use a matrix approach looking at the ability to produce wealth and the interaction with the state of health. It is the corporate executives and business owners who still operate at a high level of performance and productivity but struggle with keeping their minds and bodies healthy that will eventually exhaust their biological stamina, and potentially burn out.

Many companies, executives, and entrepreneurs have hired coaches – many of whom left their own corporate jobs because of burnout – to help increase performance at work. While efficiency may be helpful to maximize our ability to produce, coaches may not be as helpful when the person is already pumping their energy with plenty of coffee during the day and having trouble sleeping at night without the use of alcoholic beverages or hypnotics. Many of these successful executives seek to see a doctor when they are already experiencing heartburn, chest pain, or panic attacks. I’d like to see people preventing these physical events from even happening. People who are experiencing a series of medical issues triggered by stress may not benefit from coaching as much as people who are healthy and want to improve their performance at work. Everyone who is Leading under Pressure needs to prioritize health, implement treatment as necessary, and improve lifestyle strategies.

You will benefit from having a coach if you are performing and producing at a good baseline level and if you want to continue to improve. You will also benefit if you feel somewhat disorganized and need direction in how to prioritize or organize your day. Lastly, you will benefit from a coach if you feel the need of an outside force to keep you on track. On the other hand, you may benefit from having expert assistance if you would like to implement healthy lifestyle strategies and work on improving your performance and productivity, managing work in life and improving in each and every area of your life.

There is room for both. It’s important to intervene with the right approach. If I was experiencing heart discomfort, I would like to be seen by a cardiologist and not by a dentist. This will save entrepreneurs and executives the precious time they don’t have to spare to begin with.