People often talk about burning out and feeling overwhelmed. Leaders mistakenly think that those who are burning out are the less capable team members. They assume that if you were talented and self-motivated, you would not feel burned out. Instead, we find the opposite to be true and often it is the most talented who burn out.
One of the reasons people burn out is because they are “clutch players.” A clutch player is often very talented, can shift into different roles to help the team, and feels valued when asked to help. For the organization this person seems like a great resource because they are dependable and able to learn new skills quickly. Most likely they are your “go to” person.
However, leaders often lean too heavily on them and soon find problems emerging. For example, when you use a clutch in your car to turn corners or speed up or slow down, etc. it is very useful. Over time though a clutch will “burn out” when used too frequently and becomes ineffective when overused for long periods of time.
In a similar fashion, when a team member is stretched in too many directions, there are a number of negative results. First, they are working hard on so many things that we struggle to know what they are accomplishing and find it difficult to measure their impact. Questions begin to arise as to whether they are effective or even in the right role.
Another impact of using someone as a “clutch player” is that their performance declines. Where at one time they were a shining star, they become average at best because they are asked to handle so many priorities. The team member begins to feel stretched and unappreciated for their efforts. What once made them feel valued, now makes them feel incapable of succeeding.
Finally, “clutch players” either are let go because they are no longer effective, or they leave because of exhaustion. As leaders we owe it to our team members to ensure that assigned tasks are a good growth experience for them within their area of expertise and scope of work. Further, we need to consider if this new assignment supports their other work or is in a totally new area that will dilute their efforts.
Let’s ensure that we are considering a team member’s capacity to do great work and not creating “clutch players” who will then burn out.
