How to Reignite Your Passion for Work After Years in Leadership was originally published on Ivy Exec.
Leadership positions are rewarding, but they often come with immense pressure. You have to constantly solve problems, manage teams, and be responsible for your team’s success.
After years of these duties, it’s not unusual to feel drained and less passionate about your job. Projects you once found exciting may now feel exhausting, and you may start looking forward to the end of your workday.
If these feelings sound familiar, you shouldn’t panic because many leaders go through this phase. Luckily, you can bounce back, reignite your passion, and rediscover what makes your work fulfilling. Let’s explore the steps you should follow.
☑ Recognize the Shift
You may have only recently noticed that you’re less passionate about your work, but the truth is, it doesn’t happen overnight.
Passion fades gradually, and because your daily routine is demanding, you might not realize it initially. The excitement may also diminish slowly due to leadership burnout and disconnect.
If you aren’t sure whether you’re still passionate about your work, there are signs to look out for. These include:
- Dreading the meetings you once loved
- Feeling disengaged in discussions
- Lacking enthusiasm for challenges
When you first became a leader, you probably had big dreams and ambitious goals. You wanted to make a difference and inspire everyone on your team.
But now, instead of looking forward to what’s ahead, you just want to make it through the day. You count down the hours until you can finally shut your laptop or leave the office.
Feeling this way is a sign you aren’t as passionate as you were about your job and need to take a step back to figure out what’s missing.
☑ Reconnect With Purpose
If your work feels more like a chore than a passion, it’s time to reconnect with your purpose. Determine what drew you to leadership in the first place.
Was it the ability to inspire others and help them grow in their career? Did you love the thrill of solving complex problems? Did you derive satisfaction from building something meaningful? Identifying why you became a leader will help determine if it still matters.
When you lead for a long time, you may start focusing on day-to-day operations rather than the bigger picture. Unfortunately, endless meetings and dealing with crises may overshadow your purpose.
Reignite your passion by reflecting on how your decisions have shaped the company’s future. List several ways you’ve positively influenced your peers’ careers or contributed to a greater mission.
You could also ask employees for feedback on how your leadership has impacted their paths. Their responses will provide a fresh perspective and help you appreciate your influence in the workplace.
☑ Seek New Challenges
When you do the same things repeatedly, you can quickly lose excitement. Besides, if every day at work feels like a repeat of the last, you’ll not see the value of your leadership.
Seeking new challenges will make your job less predictable and revive your passion. Step out of your comfort zone by taking on an ambitious project. Identify tasks that excite but also scare you and push yourself to tackle them.
If there’s a significant change happening at your company, volunteer to lead part of it. For example, you could help launch a new product or improve a process. You may also start an organizational culture initiative or lead a new department.
Stepping into such roles will make your work feel meaningful again and remind you why you became a leader. Other challenges to reignite your passion for work include:
- Mentoring a new employee
- Stepping outside your field of work for a while
- Volunteering in projects you consider impactful
Taking on new challenges will force you to think differently and help you value your leadership. It also allows you to step outside the routines that dulled your excitement.
☑ Delegate and Reclaim Your Creativity
As a leader, you may hold onto tasks simply because you’ve always done them. It may also feel easier to do things yourself rather than train someone else. You may even worry that no one will do a specific job better than you.
While doing all your work by yourself may give you a sense of control, it can lead to exhaustion. Delegating tasks, however, will prevent burnout and allow you to focus on what excites you. When you have less work pressure, you’ll also become more creative.
If you’re unsure what to delegate, identify the repetitive and less impactful duties. Are there reports you review or meetings you always lead that someone else could handle?
Let go of these minor responsibilities and spend more time on engaging and energizing work. Doing so will also help your employees grow by giving them new roles and opportunities to develop their skills.
☑ Step Outside the Leadership Bubble
Being in an executive position for a long time might cause you to get stuck in a bubble. You’ll spend most of your time in meetings, making big decisions, and focusing on company goals. But while you’re busy leading, you may disconnect from the employees who keep the business running.
The best way to break out of the bubble is to connect with your team in a real and meaningful way. Here are some ways to do so:
- Shadow frontline employees
- Have unstructured conversations with your team
- Participate in hands-on projects
- Attend meetings outside the leadership circle
- Ask for direct feedback from your employees
- Celebrate small wins with your team
Stepping outside the leadership bubble will help you think of your work differently. It lets you connect with your team and understand each employee’s interests and goals. Participating in exciting projects and interacting more with those under your leadership can also offer a renewed sense of purpose.
Rediscover Your Passion to Be a Better Leader
Spending years guiding other employees and making tough decisions may cause your passion for work to fade. Recognize the shift and be a better leader by reminding yourself what inspired you. Reconnect with your purpose by celebrating your achievements and the impact you’ve made in your workplace.
Connect with employees outside your rank and seek new challenges to grow your skills. Applying such strategies will reignite your interest and help you become a fulfilled leader.
