🎯Does burnout only affect the weak?

I was recently working through one of the case studies in the Harvard Business Review (which, incidentally, are excellent for boosting strategic thinking and decision-making skills), and this was the opinion expressed by one of the fictional board members when the CEO had a meltdown.

Whilst HBR case studies are fictional, they are based on real-life situations. The CEO in question had taken the reins at a green energy company in desperate need of a turnaround with major issues on several fronts. At the height of the ‘battle’, he was spending 18 hours a day in the office. As exhaustion took its inexorable toll, his behaviour became erratic, and he started to bark orders and storm out of meetings. In the end, he fainted at work and retreated to a sanatorium to recover.

🧠What struck me most, though, was the sidebar, which quoted a Deloitte study showing that 82% of US, Canadian, and European CEOs have experienced exhaustion, with 96% of those stating that their mental health had declined as a result (HBR Magazine, Jan-Feb 2025, p.129).

The case study is an extreme case, but burnout and the damage it causes are real. Almost all the executive coaching clients I have worked with over the last decade have asked for support to address stress, time and workload management issues.

Let me add a personal note: many years ago, I had a similar experience (thankfully not so severe as the CEO’s above). I had always leaned on my gifts of ample capacity and resilience and thought ‘this could never happen to me’ - until it did! As the darkness increased, I simply worked harder and resolved to keep putting one foot in front of another. To cut a long story mercifully short for all, the time came when I became so exhausted that my thinking became muddled and work became an intolerable, depressing burden.

I am embarrassed to admit that, once I had taken time off and recovered, I started heading down the same path again. It all changed one day when, looking at a huge pile of work that seemed impossible to manage, I decided to stop, go for a 30-minute walk and have a relaxing cup of tea. Having done that, I returned to my desk – and absolutely flew through the work! Better still, the quality of output was higher.

💡So, does burnout only affect the weak? No! look at the stats above. Everyone has a breaking point, even those who try to convince themselves otherwise.

In light of this fact, giving due weight to your own and your employees’ welfare is not just the right thing to do; it makes sound business sense. Workers, including business owners, executives and managers, who are healthy, get more done to a better standard. It also reduces the risk of ending up in a situation like the company in the case study, which had to cope with another major headache amid other crises.  

In closing, let me offer a few tips to help prevent burnout:

1.     Keep the right perspective. Work is important, but it is not life itself. Make time for what is important outside of work.

2.     Take breaks and holidays. Refreshed and rested = more productivity and greater happiness. It may not always be possible to leave everything behind but limiting email checks to time windows whilst on holiday, etc., will help.

3.     Where possible, focus on the work you enjoy and can do well. Consider delegating/outsourcing other regular work. Whilst all meaningful jobs require us to do tasks that don’t motivate us, having a role that enables us to do satisfying work regularly is a big help.

4.     Surges in effort and time will often be necessary, but have an end date and allow for rewards along the way.

5.     Get support from a coach or mentor. He/she can help with time and stress management techniques and serve as a sounding board for your own ideas.

6.     One of the hardest for some – learn to say ‘no’. How to say ‘no’ is, of course, important: share your rationale, demonstrate your sound work ethic, come up with alternatives, etc. At the end of the day, though, be prepared to stand your ground. Few people who have worked themselves into an early grave can be thought to have made a good deal.

I hope this is a help to hard-pressed leaders, especially. 📩 DM me if you would like to talk confidentially.

🔹The list above is not exhaustive. What would you add?

#burnout #coachingandmentoring #aspiremcl