Building Frustration Fatigue

In the realm of leadership “BFF” does not mean “Best Friends Forever,” it means

“Building Frustration Fatigue.” There are some common questions employees ask,

externally or internally, that reflect symptoms of frustration fatigue. “Why did you task me, if

you are going to keep changing what I’ve done?” “What did you hire me for it you are going

to do the job?” If BFF is prevalent in your organization, it is usually because of an impatient

and insecure leader. 

Frustration fatigue occurs when a leader intentionally or unintentionally makes

themselves a player. Now the results of this practice change the relationship between the

leaders and those led by making it more competitive and not collaborative in nature.

BFF usually happens when a leader’s mantra is, “if you want a job done right, do it

yourself” or “it’s easier to do it than it is to explain it.” But to the one who was tasked, the

leader is actually saying, “I had no idea you were that stupid” or “I can’t trust you to do

anything right.”

Frustration fatigue can be mitigated by learning how to articulate a visual end-state,

to assign the necessary task and purpose to reach that end, and, most importantly, to let it

go and let people do their jobs. It is alright for leaders to oversee, and course correct as

necessary, but to undercut, override, or consistently sideline their people will only lead to

BFF. Wise leaders who learn the skills of not creating a BFF environment will always build

successful teams. What is your skill level?