Managing Burnout In Busy Season
by Kyle Ascione of Integrity Asphalt
Summer can bring a wide range of emotions and feelings and demands. Wins/challenges, gains/losses, the need to invest into this season and next, Marketing, sales, equipment, employees, and it is an up and down thing that can often leave one at the end of the season feeling fatigue, or as we often hear “burnout”.
How do we manage this better so we level out the extreme highs and lows to make it a little more manageable? Here are a few things that I do to really help keep the momentum going.
We have to realize that we as the business owner, leader, operator, or laborer are leaders in some respect, even if you lead yourself. It is your responsibility to own your role. You are always your biggest asset, and thus you need to be taking care of yourself. An environment that promotes good health both physical, mental and emotional is key. I personally choose the gym in whatever capacity I can during the week (usually weekends always have good availability) and also the people and environment I choose to surround myself with. One that is encouraging to where you want to go and not a deterrent of who you want to become. The reason for this is it gives growth to your personal foundation. Enabling you to become a stronger, more focused, and encouraged individual.
Magic in the messaging. What I mean by that is the message you put out will attract what it connects with. If you want the right employees, your messaging on how you value high quality people and a quality work environment will connect with those people and they will become curious. Your messaging on what kind of work you specialize in or WANT to specialize in will connect with those people that are looking to have that size project done. And i'll let you in on a secret… messaging is another word for marketing. When we hear the word “marketing” we often shut down a little because it is such a big area of business, unless you know about it and are comfortable, it can be something that alot of people often shy away from. Your marketing sets you up for the future, not the present. Your marketing in the past set you up for the present.
If you really want to make something out of your asphalt business, you have to keep reminding yourself that this is for the long game not the short game. Investing into your people, yout faith, your processes, and your customers is where the results will show up. This is not an overnight success and don't forget that it is much easier to talk about than execute. Often times one can feel lost because it get harder than they expected. Do yourself a favor and adjust your expectations. Don't expect it to be easy or difficult, just expect it to be what it is and handle the next thing in front of you. Don't forget to look back every now and again and recognize your progress as well.
I hope this helps give some sort of order to the periodic chaos that can swirl around in the minds of an asphalt business owner. It is easy to be consumed by the day to day, we often forget about the big picture and where we are ACTUALLY driving this thing.