Your emerging leaders may not fit the traditional mold

Thinking from the outside-in about your influences and purpose as well as from the inside-out about your values and beliefs can help you pinpoint if you're feeling burned out or if you're just bored with your leadership role, writes Anne Chow, the lead director on FranklinCovey's Board of Directors. "Thinking outside-in and inside-out are excellent ways to advocate for your organization's customers and stakeholders internally while promoting the company externally," Chow writes.

Put it into practice: "Boredom burnout," or "boreout" as Adam Grant calls it, can cause leaders to disconnect and become discontent, Chow writes. Thinking about what gives you energy and which passions may be moving you toward -- or away from -- your current career can help clarify your direction.

Future leaders are lurking in every organization, and they are often the ones inspiring those around them, creating change or offering innovative solutions, whether it's on the job or through activities outside the office, writes Mike Szczesny, the owner and vice president of EDCO Awards & Specialties. "By recognizing leadership in unexpected places, we broaden our understanding of what it means to lead while celebrating the diverse and dynamic ways leadership can manifest," Szczesny notes.

Put it into practice: Spot new leaders on your team by taking an interest in what they do outside of work, Szczesny suggests, whether it's leading a community cleanup crew or advocating for social justice issues. "Acknowledging and celebrating leadership in all forms is crucial to cultivating a more inclusive view of leadership."

Short-term discomfort may keep us silent in the workplace, but it must be weighed with the long-term consequences, especially if silence means a situation will get worse, says Elaine Lin Hering, author of "Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully," who recommends asking yourself if either your silence or your voice aligns with your values. "Until we solve for silence, we're not actually going to reap the benefits of all that other work and investments around our skills," Hering notes.

Put it into practice: Notice if there is a culture of "organizational silence" in your company and whether those who speak out are rewarded or punished, Hering notes, then ask what kind of workplace your silence is perpetuating and whether you can live with it. "Then, make intentional choices going forward from there."

Become more mindful of how many times you pick up your phone during the day by marking it down on paper, breathing three times before scrolling or noticing how you feel right before you reach for it -- are you bored or anxious? Zen Habits founder Leo Babauta offers some tips on breaking the habit by using lock screens, setting a time limit on your use, taking a walk or doing some meditation instead of checking your device.

Mike Busch was looking to take some drone video of seals when he visited New York's Moriches Inlet recently, but he ended up using his drone to help save a kayaker who was adrift after falling out of his craft. Busch kept the kayaker in sight with his drone allowing a police helicopter to more easily spot the man who was taken to a hospital and is expected to fully recover.

Before I retired as the head of the spiritual community I founded 14 years ago, I did the exact same process Anne Chow outlines in today's top story. I thought from the outside-in about how my departure would affect our congregation and our standing in the community. I also thought from the inside-out, trying to sort out my own desires, passions and priorities.

Through that process, I discovered that I was suffering from what Adam Grant calls "boreout." Yes, I was burned out, but I was also increasingly uninspired by my own leadership. It was the right time to step aside and allow the community to find new leadership and a different path.

It's not an easy process and not one to be taken lightly because the ensuing decisions affect the lives of those around you.

Have you ever suffered from "boreout"? How did you handle it? Tell me.

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