How to Burnout (By Ignoring Your Mental Wiring)
A wise leader I know once recommended that I read a chapter of Tom Paterson's book "Living the Life You Were Meant to Live.”
The chapter, “The Thinking Wavelength” makes the case, that each person is “born with a built-in…way of organizing the world, tolerating change, and juggling variables.” Therefore, function in a role you weren’t mentally wired for? It will lead to distress and dysfunction and inevitably - burnout.
Thinking Wavelength Construct
The Thinking Wavelength is a spectrum from Concrete Thinking to Abstract Thinking. The prior is administrative & operational whereas the latter is more strategic & developmental. One mode of thinking is not better than the other. They’re simply different.
Paterson lists 5 categories in this spectrum:
Grinders - The detail-minded doer who gets the work done. This is the person who likes to document things, take things a step at a time, and has a distaste for ambiguity.
Minders - Concrete thinkers with the people skills and organizational abilities to manage a team, diagnose problems, and solve issues.
Keepers - Those capable of managing entire departments/businesses who have an eye for the strategic and the administrative, who can mediate relationships, hold detail and broad vision and are organized.
Finders - The entrepreneur, innovator, and creator who senses and capitalizes on opportunities as they love a new challenge. They’re bored by steady states and are not the ones who do paperwork and “finish the job.”
Theorists - Those who love risk, make strategic quantum leaps, and love the eagle-eye macro view. Though intelligent and persuasive, they do not bring things to closure, nor do they manage others effectively. They live in a world of ideas.
Implications of the Thinking Wavelength
There are 4 implications of this framework according to Patterson:
People cannot change who they are. Those inclined towards abstraction are simply hardwired for it (just like those who are concrete-leaning). Individuals are who they are, for better or for worse. A Grinder will never become a Theorist and vice versa (and it would be cruel to expect them to be so).
Those who operate extensively outside of their wiring will eventually burn out. According to Paterson, concrete thinkers who operate abstractly for too long experience what he calls Stress A or “frustration at not being able to do it.” Abstract-leaning thinkers who function concretely for too long experience Stress B or “frustration at having to do it.” In either case, it will lead to burnout.
Burnout leads to an irreversible change. According to Paterson, what happens in burnout is metamorphosis - “a change in character, substance, and appearance…Some have tried very elaborate rehabilitation plans for burned-out managers and executives, but I have yet to see one of them work to the benefit of either the person or the corporation.”
If in a misaligned role, one must say “no”, switch his or her role, or leave the organization altogether. This is about self-awareness and stewardship operating with conviction. It is easier said than done, but it will be a far better alternative to the aforementioned burnout.
Synthesis with a Deeper Biblical Worldview
Here are 3 synthesizing thoughts in conclusion:
You’re more than your wiring (Servanthood) The follower of Jesus is always more than his or her “wiring.” We’re invited to be servants as Jesus modeled for us. Yes, there will certainly be seasons when we’re invited to go beyond our natural strengths and comfort zones. For example, I never felt wired to change diapers or felt lego-clean-up inclined but that’s what fatherhood called for. We can own our number on the enneagram, letters on the Myers Brigg, and category on the Thinking Wavelength, but servanthood must supersede all.
You’re not less than your wiring (Stewardship) We must also acknowledge that when we say we are “wonderfully and fearfully made” as image-bearers, God also placed distinctives within us for how we would cultivate and create culture around us. It is wise, therefore, to be in the ongoing prayer tension of servanthood and wise stewardship of how God made us to be. This means we should be honest if we struggle with concrete, detail-oriented things. We should also seek to honor those around who are different from us.
You’re better off with others (Community) Truth about ourselves is often found in the context of others. Want to learn about yourself? Open yourself up to the wisdom of counselors around you. Excellence is also found in the context of community, namely around those who are different than us. I lean more abstract than concrete, therefore I need those who are inclined towards concreteness in my life and work.
The Psalmist wrote you are “wonderfully and fearfully made.” Live into all of it with all of His might which works gloriously in you.
