Fired Up!

Imagine this . . . you are leading a team that is full of energy, enthusiasm, creativity, cooperation, and participation. Team members enjoy working　with one another and the nature of the work itself. Simply put, the team is a pleasure to engage with and they help you achieve organizational goals − on time and under budget. Sounds great – right? Of course it does . . . but it may not be your reality.

Your team’s success is impacted by changes within the work environment, and as a leader, manager, human resources professional or organizational development consultant you are constantly striving to address threats to employee engagement and well-being. One such threat is the global phenomenon: burnout.　

Fired Up! offers a framework and collection of interconnected principles that can help you build a positive and effective work environment. It serves as a starting point for people leaders (and those that work with people leaders) to understand burnout and engagement while developing a plan of action. Inspired by the stories, anecdotes, and strategies included in the book, you will find support and tools for creating an environment that fosters engagement for your team.　

Gain an insight into the causes and consequences of burnout, learn how to assess your team and work environment and become aware of the conditions that can shift your team from burnout to engagement.

Mia Baytop Russell, PhD has served in various roles across nonprofit, academic, and corporate sectors. Currently, as lecturer in the Center for Leadership Education at Johns Hopkins University, she teaches leadership and management courses. Drawing from personal interests and challenges with work-life integration and work-family conflict, Mia has spent decades exploring well-being in multiple contexts. Her research focuses on the sustainability of well-being, specifically family economic well-being and career/work-related well-being. As a contributor to the field of financial education and organizational behavior, Mia has published dozens of interdisciplinary articles, developed programs, and consulted with organizations.

Girvin Liggans, PhD is an expert in policy analysis and a lecturer in the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University where he teaches management, leadership, and technical communication. Rooted in decades of work within public health agencies, Girvin is dedicated to advancing health equity and employee well-being through a focus on evidence-informed decision-making in public and organizational policy. His research is multidisciplinary and spans environmental health, organizational behavior, legal epidemiology, and diversity and inclusion. Girvin holds an MS in Environmental Health Science from the University of Michigan along with a BS in Environmental Science and PhD in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

The book will be appealing to managers, leaders and HR professionals who wish to become acquainted with the phenomenon of burnout and look for specific, well-validated methods for recognizing risks in the work environment. Furthermore, it provides practical advice and solutions on how to increase employees’ motivation, vigor and commitment to the team and organization.

Stela Salminen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

This book is unique in that it provides an approach to organizational burnout with specific guidelines and solutions for making the organization function more efficiently for both managers and employees.

Elissa Levine, Psychotherapist/Clinical Social Worker, Washington D.C, USA

I believe this book contributes to a new understanding of burnout and how it is a huge concern in the workplace today.　 This book definitely stimulates the mind to the concern of burnout and I believe that it will be very useful in helping combat burnout for those that take the time to read it

Kevin McCall, ADP Talent Management, Tucson, USA

Russell and Liggans provide a principle-based approach to leadership that delineates the factors which lead to the exhaustion and reduced effectiveness created by burnout. While thoroughly evidence-based, practical steps are given to move team members from burnout to active engagement. Fired Up! is a foundational resource every leader will highly value.

Paul White, Ph.D., Psychologist; President, Appreciation at Work; and best-selling author, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace

Fired Up! tackles in a very practical and inspiring way one of the most pressing challenges of our time. People have been disengaged, over-worked, and stressed for too long in the workplace. Now is the time to fire up our imaginations and energy to change the way we work and the way we think about work. Start the process with this book.　

Stuart Crainer, Thinkers50 co-founder 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Fired Up! is a smart and accessible work that provides an effective framework that can help leaders address burnout within their teams and organizations. In the wake of the Great Resignation, this book could not be more timely.

Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret, When, and To Sell is Human