Is The Crab Pot Syndrome Keeping You In Burnout?

In the book Late Bloomers, Rich Karlgaard discusses how some people face the crab pot syndrome. "Among humans, members of a group will attempt to negate the importance of any member who achieves success beyond the success of others." The crab pot syndrome is also known as crab mentality or the "crabs-in-a-bucket" philosophy. It's where you want to drag others down with you (or others want to drag you down with them).

It's easy to see how this might apply to burnout. One of the components of burnout is depersonalization, or feelings of cynicism. When you feel cynical, you're less likely to try to improve yourself or help others improve. It can be easy to get stuck in that mindset and try to prevent others from getting out of burnout. If everyone around you is feeling burnt out, then you are more likely to feel burnt out yourself. That's what causes crab mentality.

How can you avoid the crab pot syndrome? Remember that others winning doesn't have to mean you are losing. As the saying goes, "A rising tide lifts all boats." Taking pride in your coworker's accomplishment can help you avoid depersonalization, which in turn will help you avoid burnout.

What if others are holding you back in burnout? In Late Bloomers, Rich suggests "repotting" yourself to move to a different environment that won't hold you back. That's not necessarily the easiest thing to do, of course. But if you're in a situation that is keeping you stuck in burnout, it may be the right thing to do.

Have you found yourself stuck in the crab mentality in the past? How did you get out? Feel free to email me and let me know.