The Everyday Human

Over the years, I have read many excellent books and articles about burnout. Authors like Juliet Funt, Caroline Webb, and Adam Grant come immediately to mind. I have even purchased their books for my direct reports, knowing the toll burnout can take on mental health and organizational productivity. Yet despite all this reading and sharing, there is one aspect of burnout I still struggle to navigate: the guilt that accompanies it when you are an executive leader.

I am purposely not going to discuss the specifics of my leadership role, as that is irrelevant to the point I am making. What I will share is that I oversee approximately 400 employees in an organization that I played a significant role in developing. Therefore, I feel a personal stake in seeing it succeed. Unfortunately there are times that I feel I have made the mistake Colin Powell warned against nearly thirty years ago when he said, “Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.” I could write an entire essay on that quote alone, but for this entry, I am simply connecting it to the unique challenge of executive-level burnout.

As leaders, we want to set the tone and example for our organizations. We feel a profound responsibility to those who entrust their careers and their families’ well-being into our hands. Our minds are—in one way or another—constantly on our organizations, even during our supposed breaks from them. We aim to protect what we have built by anticipating challenges and preparing adequately for them. We continuously seek ways to improve our workplaces, if for no other reason than to ensure they can be sustained long-term. This is overwhelming precisely because there is always something that needs to be done.

Therefore, when burnout begins to seep in, it often arrives with a crushing sense of guilt that prevents us from taking the very breaks we need. After all, if someone in the organization is not being cared for properly, if the culture begins to deteriorate, if a future challenge goes unaddressed—we feel we own some fault in these shortcomings.

So how do executive leaders handle these issues? Honestly, I do not have all the answers. I have mentioned authors with well-researched methods, many of which I can vouch for. However, I want to take a less academic approach and simply share the hard lessons I have learned through experience.

1. Grow and train your organization’s leaders to the point that you are not needed.

That may sound threatening to your job security, but understand this: as the leader, you will always be needed—if for no other reason than to set the vision for the organization. However, if you train your organization to be self-sufficient, you will be able to take breaks with far less stress, knowing everything is being handled in your absence.

2. Take care of your physical health.

I have learned that good mental health often begins with taking care of your physical health. Exercise is a proven way to reduce stress hormones, improve sleep quality, and help your body combat the anxiety and depression that so easily accompany high-stress positions.

3. Find a hobby that allows you to be productive.

As leaders, productivity is in our DNA. While I believe hobbies are beneficial regardless, I think we derive even more satisfaction from those that lead to something tangible. I have seen high-level leaders cultivate productive gardens, refinish furniture, and compete in 5K races. Their hobbies result in a product or accomplishment they can point to with pride. These fulfill a special need that leaders have—the need to create and achieve in spaces where the stakes are personal rather than professional.

4. Stay financially healthy.

I firmly believe the best leaders stay at an organization because they want to—not because they have to. There is nothing inherently wrong with the latter, but I will tell you from experience that it is much easier to face workplace stress when you know you have the flexibility to leave and can still meet your personal financial obligations. As leaders, you will often earn a salary that places you in the top 10-20% of the country. These positions are not easily replaced. Therefore, if you spend to the point where you need every dollar of your salary, you may find yourself trapped in burnout—staying not by choice, but by necessity—even when you are deeply frustrated and unhappy.

5. Know your season.

It is rare, if not impossible, for a person to spend a lifetime at a single organization. Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” There is profound wisdom in this verse that is often overlooked in organizational leadership. Organizations are constantly evolving, and so are the challenges they face. As leaders, we are often the perfect executives for certain periods—equipped to face specific challenges. However, there comes a point when we must take solace in knowing we have created something that can endure without us. We must accept that new challenges require new thinking, and that yesterday’s solutions may become today’s barriers. This is acceptable—even necessary—as long as we heed Colin Powell’s advice and refuse to tie our ego to our position. We remain accomplished, productive citizens even without an organization attached to our biography.

Burnout is real. It does not only affect frontline workers or middle management. High-level leaders deal with it constantly. Those who survive it find their own methods of managing it. Above are the lessons I have learned. I hope you will take the time to proactively discover your own solutions—before burnout forces your hand.