Welcome back to the Look and Sound of Leadership, an ongoing series of executive coaching tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived.

I'm Tom Henschel, your executive coach, and

today we're talking about the Exhausted Executive. Because Joanna's international

travels are relentless, she and I often conduct our coaching sessions via her company's high definition video conferencing.

Recently, I watched as she dropped into frame with a grunt and smiled at me wanly.

Her look prompted me to ask with sincere concern,

how are you doing? Her shoulders fell.

Her eyes welled up.

Her chin sunk to her chest.

Then her hands covered her face.

She was quiet a long time.

And then she whispered,

Oh, Tom, I am so tired.

Joanna is not fragile.

She loves working at the senior level of one of the world's largest technology

companies. But this day, she was worn out and beaten down. She told me how during a meeting in India with a dozen department heads she was unable to come up with a solution to a simple problem.

My mind was like a mush-ball time, I just couldn't pull my thoughts together. I asked her

what was contributing to her depletion. She recited a litany I had heard before

unending organizational changes and strategic realignments, the departure of her

boss who had been a close friend, the rigors of her international schedule, and the demands of

her division president to be connected 24-7 even on vacation.

When she finished I asked, and what about you, Joanna?

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