Workplace Wellbeing: How to get over that people-pleasing urge

Fear is often the driving force behind being a people pleaser. But it can lead to exhaustion and burnout. Better to learn how to stand up for yourself and get your needs met 

People pleasing is not the same as being kind, thoughtful, and attentive, says organisational psychologist Leisha Redmond McGrath. “There are times in life when it’s natural, normal, and even expected that we would put others’ needs ahead of our own.

LINDSAY Brady hit the point of burnout three years ago. The 43-year-old, from Castleknock, Dublin, had risen through the ranks of the corporate world to become a global director at LinkedIn, but was unhappy.

“I had a great job, running teams around the world, but I’d lost my sense of identity,” Brady says. “I didn’t know who I was, what I enjoyed, or what I believed in anymore. Looking back, I think it was connected to people pleasing.”