SV Has Tropical Rx For Burnout

Mike Thompson makes people uncomfortable. That’s his job.

He’ll plop them into a tropical rain forest or into the teeming streets of a Central American city at night, alone and babbling English. He’ll send them to stay with aborigines who own nothing but have a wealth that is immeasurable.

It’s all part of a plan to get United States businesspeople out of the box and, ultimately, to prevent burnout.

“What these people see is corporate culture,” Thompson said. “They see white picket fences and car payments.”

But it’s what they don’t see that matters, and Thompson knows that all too well.

After helping found two prominent advertising agencies in Northwest Arkansas during the 1990s, Thompson was overwhelmed by family tragedy. Four members of his family, including his son, died on separate occasions within a short period of time.

He stayed on as a partner at ThompsonMurray advertising agency in Springdale for another three years, but he didn’t feel the same. He finally left the agency two years ago in January.

“It wasn’t my purpose,” Thompson said. “It wasn’t what hit me in my gut. I’m not going to spend a day of my life doing what I’m not passionate about …

“I’ve developed a passion to help other people live life to the fullest. Work out of joy. Work out of passion, not out of personal debt.”

Season’s Ventures

In November, Thompson formed a company called Season’s Ventures. He describes it as an “experiential development company.”

“We will create experiences that help people understand who they are, why they are, and where they’re going in life,” Thompson said. “The main thing we do is align personal passion with organizational vision.”

Burnout costs companies an estimated $200 billion per year through absenteeism, tardiness and lowered productivity. Some estimates say 60 percent of all absenteeism is due to job stress and burnout.

A 20 percent turnover of key leaders is the industry standard, Thompson said. If a company has 25 to 50 executives ranked vice president or higher, that could mean it’s losing five to 10 leaders each year, which would cost from $1 million to $2 million annually.

“Through our assessment, we can identify who those 10 are who are going to burn out or become disengaged for whatever reason,” Thompson said.

It costs a company an average of $200,000 to replace a top leader who burns out, he said. Some clients tell Thompson the cost is closer to $600,000.

“The Radical Sabbatical program will cost under $100,000 for 10 of the important, but potentially burned-out, leaders within your organization,” the company’s literature states. “Our estimated results show a 20:1 payout when considering potential costs of $2 million with the departure of important leaders … If the Radical Sabbatical program helps seven people re-engage, that is a potential cost savings of $1.4 million.”

But Thompson admits that not everyone can be saved from the flame. If the executive still burns out, the goal is to turn a “disgruntled employee into a valuable alumni.”

In January, Thompson took eight people to Costa Rica on a six-day “Radical Sabbatical.” Patti Seymour, president of Edges Inc., a strategic solutions company based in Bentonville, served as executive coach. In August, Thompson plans to take another group of eight to 10 executives to Costa Rica on a similar trip.

The trip is especially for executives and key leaders. It’s not a vacation, Thompson cautions.

Before they even leave, the participants take two psychology tests, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the TAIS test. Thompson assesses the results so he knows what kind of people he’s dealing with.

“Up front, we really get a good look at how they’re wired,” he said. “Through the tests, we can customize the experiences to better meet the needs of those individuals.”

Thompson said he’s shooting for “revealing moments” rather than “defining moments.” He wants the participants to figure it out for themselves.

There are three phases to the Radical Sabbatical: discovery, plan and commit. The goal is to have participants “mentally, spiritually, physically and intellectually reveal things to themselves,” Thompson said.

“Action plans help close the gap between who you are and what you do,” he said.

Radical Routine

“They will land on a Saturday,” Thompson said. “We immediately thrust them into the San Jose culture. We do that to add shock and perspective right off the bat to get their guard down.”

Thompson said there’s some mystery and secrecy involved.

“There’s no danger, but there’s perceived danger,” he said. “We have protections set up. It’s a safe program, but there are times when it’s not perceived as safe.”

In addition to the city experience, participants climb a 30-foot-tall waterfall and do extreme white-water rafting. The next night, he might put everybody up at a five-star resort in the rain forest. It’s an odd mix of plush and discomfort.

“All of this stuff has a purpose,” Thompson said, noting that the rafting forces people to act as a team and work together.

“We’ll stay with some aboriginal people to give everything perspective,” he said. “We go there, and they don’t have anything. So we think, ‘How can we help them?'”

After they return from the trip, Radical Sabbatical participants are tracked for 10 months with one-on-one coaching, Thompson said.

“So many programs do such a terrible job of follow up,” he said.

Thompson said he’s currently working with 10 organizations, primarily in the Dallas and Little Rock areas. Besides Costa Rica, he also plans two-day Sabbaticals in North America, including Dallas and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Other Programs

In addition to Radical Sabbatical, Season’s Ventures has three other programs in the works.

n Blue Sky is for the “pioneer at heart,” Thompson said. It’s for individuals, not necessarily executives, who want a new experience. Andros, the least explored island in the Bahamas, will be the next site of a Blue Sky trip, Thompson said.

n X-Factor is an accredited program for students from John Brown University and a couple of other U.S. colleges.

n W3 is a program for people in transition, whether they are entrepreneurs, have been laid off from work or quit on their own.

In all cases, the location is essential, Thompson said.

“You can do this in a hotel seminar room and forget it in a week,” he said, “or you can do it in Costa Rica or Andros and remember it for a lifetime.”