Reclaiming the Fire : How Successful People Overcome Burnout
- Book Review,
by STEVEN BERGLAS
Amazon.com
Why do so many seemingly successful professionals hit the wall in middle age, and decide to either radically scale back their careers or set off in an entirely new direction? Clinical psychologist Steven Berglas, a specialist in success-induced burnout, believes it stems from the "self-handicapping behavior" that baby boomers are exhibiting in record numbers as they climb the corporate ladder and find they aren't happy with what results. Terming the phenomena Supernova Burnout, Berglas defines this workplace ennui as "the constrictive effects of being branded a 'success'" and offers some advice for the psychological distress that is an increasing consequence. In Reclaiming the Fire, he advances his arguments in a serious but accessible manner with references to cultural touch points like Mark Monsky's Looking Out for #1 and help from philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche. He analyzes "performance-inhibiting" behaviors ranging from substance abuse to abrupt career changes that he says developed from societal attitudes of the last half century, and suggests a few individual and organizational responses (including his 60 Minutes cure, which relies upon passion and intrinsic motivation to battle career malaise). While not everyone will agree with his assessments and prescribed cures, businesspeople who fit Berglas's description--and human resource managers who deal them--will likely find the material intriguing and potentially helpful. --Howard Rothman
From Publishers Weekly
Berglas, a management consultant and psychology instructor at UCLA and Harvard, traces burnout among attorneys, doctors, executives and others. For example, he points to Michael Jordan, who left basketball in 1993 because of "Supernova Burnout"; after extraordinary achievements, excessive attention made him fear failure, Berglas theorizes. Other cases of people trapped by success demonstrate burnout variations. Readers without their own professional guidance will wish Berglas discussed more solutions. Agent, Jill Kneerim. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
If a person works hard and accumulates enormous wealth, should one assume that he or she is happy and successful? Berglas, a clinical psychologist and former columnist for Inc. magazine, says "no" in this examination of success-triggered problems what he calls "Supernova Burnout." U.S. society's glorification of material wealth, he argues, is to blame for the burnout that afflicts highly motivated professionals who no longer find their careers rewarding: "Achieving what you want and realizing that no favorable psychological changes have automatically ensued is far worse than failing to reach a goal." Using clinical case studies of attorneys, corporate executives, athletes, and business managers as well as laboratory research findings, Berglas vividly illustrates the symptoms and offers helpful tips for prevention and treatment. This well-written, well-supported work covers a fascinating topic and will sustain the interest of the reader. Recommended for psychology and business collections in academic and large public libraries. Elizabeth Goeters, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Roswell Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Berglas is a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor at the Harvard Medical School, and now he teaches at UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management. He has already examined some of the unforeseen consequences of success in The Success Syndrome: Hitting Bottom When You Reach the Top (1986). Berglas discovered that for many people, achieving success is a double-edged sword. The pressure of rising expectations and an increased social isolation, which leads to depression, often accompanies success. He now further explores the complexities of the paradox of success. He identifies "supernova burnout" as the condition where individuals become so good at what they do and have been doing over an extended period of time that they find their work no longer psychologically rewarding and their self-esteem threatened. Berglas diagnoses other conditions, such as the "Goldilocks dilemma," "encore anxiety," and "Pyrrhic revenge," and he suggests ways to handle these problems. He also looks at differences in the way men and women handle success and its problems. David Rouse
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Dr. Berglas's book provides invaluable insight into what it takes to achieve the balance necessary to maintain the drive to succeed."
—Larry W. Sonsini, chairman and CEO, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
"I have seen firsthand the kinds of burnout issues and situations Dr. Berglas so eloquently describes in this book. His comprehensive grasp of what causes burnout and, more important, how we can remedy it is first-rate. Reclaiming the Fire is a must-read for anyone feeling the pressure in this fast-paced, go-go world."
—Tom Matthews, vice president, human resources, AOL International
"Reclaiming the Fire demonstrates Dr. Berglas's uncanny understanding of what makes people tick. In it he provides great insight and practical strategies for executives intent upon keeping the flames of career passion roaring."
—Roger S. Berkowitz, president and CEO, Legal Sea Foods, Inc.
"Reclaiming the Fire is a remarkable book. Few people are as gifted as Steve Berglas at getting into the psyche of businesspeople and unveiling it layer by layer so that the rest of us can begin to comprehend how they think and act."
—Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart
From the Hardcover edition.
Review
"Dr. Berglas's book provides invaluable insight into what it takes to achieve the balance necessary to maintain the drive to succeed."
?Larry W. Sonsini, chairman and CEO, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
"I have seen firsthand the kinds of burnout issues and situations Dr. Berglas so eloquently describes in this book. His comprehensive grasp of what causes burnout and, more important, how we can remedy it is first-rate. Reclaiming the Fire is a must-read for anyone feeling the pressure in this fast-paced, go-go world."
?Tom Matthews, vice president, human resources, AOL International
"Reclaiming the Fire demonstrates Dr. Berglas's uncanny understanding of what makes people tick. In it he provides great insight and practical strategies for executives intent upon keeping the flames of career passion roaring."
?Roger S. Berkowitz, president and CEO, Legal Sea Foods, Inc.
"Reclaiming the Fire is a remarkable book. Few people are as gifted as Steve Berglas at getting into the psyche of businesspeople and unveiling it layer by layer so that the rest of us can begin to comprehend how they think and act."
?Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart
From the Hardcover edition.
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