The Gremlin Within: Steve George on Managing Burnout and Self-Doubt

Steve George is the Head of Learning at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). He’s a Chartered Member of the CIPD, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society. With a background in psychology and learning development, Steve has consulted on learning projects for some of the world’s leading brands. He co-authored the book Adjacent Learning (2023) and is deeply passionate about mental health, wellbeing, and sharing his personal journey with burnout and recovery.

Andy Brown speaks with Steve George about the personal toll of burnout and emotional overdraft, as well as his experiences with resilience, mental health, and how to be intentional about wellbeing. 

Key Topics:

1. Defining Emotional Overdraft:

• Steve shares his experience of burnout and how it led him to reevaluate his approach to work and wellbeing.

1. Steve's Burnout and Breakdown:
   • Steve recounts the moment of his breakdown: "One morning I woke up, my whole body was just shaking, and I couldn't stop it... I physically couldn't open my laptop to check my emails because I was trembling so much."
2. The Importance of Intentional Living:
   • Steve talks about the importance of being intentional with his time and decisions: "I realised I was drifting... I didn’t know why I was doing what I was doing and being intentional, and starting to think about why I'm doing what I'm doing."
3. Managing the Inner Gremlin:
   • Steve explains how he deals with the inner voice of self-doubt and imposter syndrome, which he refers to as his “gremlin”: "I've named it... and I just set it to shut up so I just park it to one side."
4. Re-sensitising to Stress After Personal Loss:
   • Steve shares a personal story about his father’s terminal illness and the overwhelming responsibility he felt to support others: "I found that I was feeling very much the obligation to support as many people as I possibly could... which in hindsight was partly my coping mechanism to avoid dealing with my own emotions."
5. Creating a Safe and Open Work Environment:
   • Steve highlights the importance of fostering psychological safety in teams: "If you've created that space where people are comfortable being vulnerable, you've also created an environment where people don't mind saying, 'I've messed up' or 'I don't know how to do this, can you help?'"
   • "Vulnerability is not just personal, it's professional... it's being able to say what you're thinking and being able to hear what people are thinking."
6. Trust, Feedback, and Holding the Mirror Up:
   • Steve shares how his previous boss helped him identify his priorities and hold up a “mirror” to reflect on his actions: "She very much held the mirror up and said, 'You're trying to do absolutely everything... you need to stop and take more responsibility towards driving the things that you want to get.'"

Steve’s key takeaway: "Find someone who you trust to hold the mirror up and tell you the things that you don't necessarily want to hear but need to. It will help you grow and develop."

Resources Mentioned:

• Steve George’s book: Adjacent Learning (2023)
• Andy Brown’s book: Emotional Overdraft: 10 Simple Changes for Balancing Business Success and Wellbeing
• Emotional Overdraft Self-Assessment: [Link to emotionaloverdraft.com]

Connect with Steve George:

• LinkedIn: [Steve George LinkedIn]

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