Burnout in Leadership: How to Spot It and What to Do About It

Why Are We Still Accepting Burnout as the Norm?

Leadership and burnout seem to have become an inseparable pair in today’s fast-paced, high-pressure world. But let’s be real - why are we still accepting this? Why do we continue to equate leadership success with stress, exhaustion, and the inevitable burnout that follows?

Here’s the hard truth: Burnout is not a badge of honour.

It’s a glaring sign that something is broken, both within the individual leader and the organisation they’re part of. The demands placed on leaders today aren’t just high - they’re often unrealistic. But the good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Leaders can thrive, and so can the people and organisations they lead.

What Is Burnout, and Why Does It Hit Leaders So Hard?

Burnout is more than just being tired. It’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. For leaders, this often manifests in:

• Chronic fatigue: Always feeling tired, no matter how much rest you get.

• Reduced effectiveness: Tasks that were once easy feel overwhelming.

• Mental fog: Difficulty making decisions or focusing on the big picture.

• Detachment: Feeling disconnected from work, your team, or even your personal life.

Leaders are particularly vulnerable because they’re responsible not just for their own performance but for guiding others, making tough decisions, and constantly solving problems. The constant pressure to “keep going” becomes the fuel for burnout. The cycle is clear: high demand, inadequate support, and little time to recharge.

Why Leaders Shouldn’t Have to Endure This

Here’s the challenge to the status quo: It doesn’t have to be this way.

Leaders shouldn’t have to burn out to prove they’re dedicated. We’ve normalised a leadership culture where being overworked and exhausted is seen as a natural by-product of success. This mindset is flawed, unsustainable, and damaging.

Leadership should be about creating long-term impact, not sacrificing health and wellbeing for short-term gains. What if the key to better leadership wasn’t about doing more, but about working more sustainably - ensuring that leaders have the support, tools, and time to take care of themselves??

Spotting Burnout in Yourself or Your Leadership Team

If you or leaders in your organisation are headed for burnout, you’ll likely spot some key warning signs:

1. Emotional Exhaustion: Are you feeling emotionally drained, detached, or cynical about work? Do you dread the start of each day?

2. Physical Fatigue: Are you finding it harder to keep your energy levels up, even with rest?

3. Reduced Performance: Are you less productive, unable to focus, or making decisions more slowly?

4. Increased Irritability: Do you find yourself more easily frustrated or snapping at colleagues and loved ones?

Recognising these symptoms early is crucial because, left unchecked, burnout can lead to serious health issues like chronic anxiety, depression, or even physical illness.

What You Can Do to Fix It (as a Leader)

The first step to breaking the burnout cycle is acknowledging it’s happening. And while this may feel counterintuitive, the most powerful thing a leader can do is press pause.

Here’s how leaders can start reclaiming their energy and effectiveness:

1. Set Clear Boundaries: Leadership doesn’t mean being available 24/7. Start setting boundaries around your time. This includes turning off email notifications after hours and delegating tasks that don’t require your immediate input.

2. Prioritise Wellbeing: Leadership begins with self-care. Make time for regular breaks, exercise, and sleep. When your body and mind are taken care of, you can lead from a place of strength.

3. Reclaim Control of Your Calendar: Too often, leaders’ days are dictated by others’ priorities. Take back control by scheduling time for deep work, reflection, and strategy. Not every meeting needs to be attended, and not every email requires an immediate response.

4. Build a Resilient Mindset: Resilience isn’t about pushing through at all costs; it’s about being able to recover and bounce forward. Incorporate practices like mindfulness, journaling, or regular check-ins with a coach to keep yourself mentally strong.

What Organisations Must Do to Prevent Burnout

It’s not just on leaders to fix burnout - it’s on organisations too. Leadership burnout is often a symptom of a broken system, not just individual leaders "not handling stress well."

Here’s what organisations can do:

1. Redefine Success: Organisations need to move away from the culture of "always on" and instead prioritise sustainable leadership. Success shouldn’t be measured by how many hours someone puts in but by the impact they make.

2. Support Flexible Work Structures: Leaders should be encouraged to create a balanced work schedule, whether that’s through flexible working hours, remote work, or time for personal growth.

3. Invest in Leadership Development: Equip leaders with the tools and resources to thrive. This includes access to resilience coaching, mental health support, and personal development programs that emphasise wellbeing and work-life balance.

4. Create a Culture of Support: The best way to prevent burnout is to ensure that leaders aren’t working in isolation. Foster a culture where asking for help, delegating, and prioritising personal wellbeing are normalised and encouraged.

A New Kind of Leadership: Resilient, Balanced, and Impactful

The current state of leadership is broken, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. We need to stop accepting burnout as inevitable. Instead, we should focus on building a leadership culture that prioritises resilience, balance, and sustainable success - for both the leaders themselves and the organisations they serve.

And I know this from personal experience. I’ve been in the high-pressure, leadership roles where the demands seemed endless and support was lacking. I pushed myself through it, thinking it was the only way to succeed. But that pressure took its toll, and I developed a life-changing chronic illness as a result.

It was only then that I realised something had to change - both in how I approached my work and how organisations should support their leaders. That experience taught me the importance of resilience, balance, and wellbeing in leadership, and it’s why I’m so passionate about helping others avoid the same path.

Resilience isn’t just about surviving the tough times - it’s about thriving through them. If you’re a leader who feels on the brink of burnout, it’s time to take control, reset, and rethink what leadership really looks like.

Let’s work together to rebuild leadership from the ground up. My Resilience Reset coaching journey can help you break the burnout cycle and create a sustainable, balanced approach to achieving your goals.

If you're ready to lead with more balance and resilience, book a free 20-minute discovery call today, and let's explore how my Resilience Reset program can help you lead stronger than ever.

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