A former headteacher who starred in a fly-in-the-wall TV show has explained how the three R’s of education can be the key to helping avoid burnout at work.

Drew Povey championed reading, writing and arithmetic during his time in charge of Harrop Fold School in Salford, which was the setting of the popular 2017 Channel 4 documentary Educating Greater Manchester.

He now works as a leadership expert, and helps elite athletes and business leaders stay on track and improve their productivity. Drew, the founder of the Drew Povey Consultancy, says there are three alternative R’s which can be the key to reducing stress.

Drew said: “In creating tactics to deal with burnout leaders need to recognise, reflect and recalibrate. What I've learned about burnout over the years is that it's a bit insidious, and it can creep in and creep in quietly. In order to achieve your goals it’s important to be strategic, which is where coaching can help. Without it, workplace pressures and a relentless push to reach the top without a guide or support can actually stop you achieving what you want.”

Here, Drew outlines his five tips for dealing with burnout.

Notice the signs:

“It's about finding the early warning signs. We’re all taught the warning signs of physical health problems like a heart attack or stroke and have it drummed into us exactly what we need to do.

“But burnout also has warning signs and we need to be aware of what they are so we can recognise them and act accordingly.

“Common symptoms include not being happy at work, feeling tired all the time and disrupted sleep. People may also find themselves looking for escapes in alcohol, drugs or other short term coping mechanisms which means the problem can quickly escalate into something quite serious.

“And like poor physical health, prevention is the key.

“Awareness, for me, is the first antidote to being overwhelmed. We’ve all experienced it at some point and without that awareness of the problem it’s difficult to nip it in the bud.

“In the same way as Step 1 in overcoming an addiction is admitting you have a problem, the same applies to burnout.”

Stop trying to captain your life alone

“To use a team sports analogy, life is a team sport and we need to stop trying to captain it alone.

“One of the main lessons from leadership coaching should be to remind leaders that they don't have to do it all solo. We all need that sounding board, that someone who listens, someone who challenges, someone who supports.

“It is absolutely essential, because this will make the load lighter, but it will also make the path clearer.

You can't read the label from inside the bottle

“Everybody I've ever met, including myself, has blind spots, and coaching can help us see when we're too close to see what is hiding in plain sight.

“If you are too close to an issue it’s very hard to see patterns, pressures and possibilities which are there, and coaching helps to address those blind spots.

“It goes back to life being a team sport: you need that support and a fresh set of eyes to get the best from a situation.”

Coaching isn’t just for those at the top

“A lot of people think coaching is just for people at the top of a business or people who've got a lot of money. You might think of coaching and imagine luxury away days for the top team, but in my opinion coaching shouldn’t be considered as a luxury, even if it can be expensive.

“To me, it’s a key leadership skill and even if you can't get a formal coach, I think leaders can coach themselves in so many ways.

“Anyone can use the principles of coaching no matter what stage of their career they are. If it’s something you want to get into, start with reading a book on coaching and applying those lessons yourself.

“Many of the principles will be things like good habits, so the benefit of having a coach is that they can help you to be held to account if you aren’t putting those important behaviours into practice.”

You can’t pour from an empty cup

“When I’m asked what the biggest leadership challenge is, I always say ‘myself’. That’s because coaching helps leaders reconnect with purpose, set boundaries and rediscover the energy that leads to sustainability.

“The best leaders I’ve worked with don’t make it just about leading others, they really know how to lead themselves.

“And we need to start with ourselves in that regard, because you can’t pour from an empty cup, but you can refill it.

“Unless we follow those best practices ourselves, how can we lead and inspire others to do the same? That means to avoid burnout, you must take care of yourself.”

For more information visit www.drewpovey.co.uk