Leading While Suffering from Burnout

Part 2 of a 2-Part Series on Burnout & Leadership

When you're the one in charge, burnout feels like a secret you can't afford to tell. Many leaders hide their own burnout to protect their team, reputation, or sense of control. But pretending you're fine doesn't make you stronger, it makes you a more fragile manager. Leadership isn't about carrying the heaviest load alone, it's knowing when to set it down.

Why Leaders Ignore Their Own Burnout

Leaders are often the last to admit they're burned out, not because they don't feel it, but because we've been taught we can't. Somewhere along the way, they've absorbed the belief that "If I just push harder, this will pass."

They feel an immense pressure to shield their teams from struggles, to project a version of "unshakeable leadership" that never wavers. Credibility, authority, and opportunity can feel fragile, and so they protect them by appearing as if they have it all together. The problem is, holding that façade often accelerates the very burnout they're trying to hide.

But burnout doesn't stay hidden forever, it eventually seeps into your decisions, your relationships, and the culture you're responsible for shaping.

The Risks of Leading While Burned Out

Burnout doesn't just drain you, it ripples through your team. When your people sense that something is "off" but unspoken, trust begins to erode. Silence creates uncertainty, and uncertainty breeds disengagement.

Without meaning to, you start modeling unsustainable work habits your team will begin to mimic. They'll match your pace, your hours, even your self-neglect, because they assume that's what it takes to succeed here.

When organizations reward overwork, through praise for "always being on," empty-star metrics, or even implicit approval, burnout becomes the unspoken prerequisite for success. In fact, studies show that up to 66% of American workers are currently experiencing burnout. (Forbes, 2025)

Most concerning of all, burnout clouds judgment. It shortens your fuse, narrows your vision, and pulls you toward reactive choices. Over time, that emotional distance and detachment don't just affect your performance, they weaken the organization you've worked so hard to support.

And here's the catch: you can't address what you don't acknowledge. Burnout hides in plain sight, showing up in small, subtle shifts long before it turns into a full collapse.

Recognizing Burnout Signals

Spotting burnout in yourself starts with noticing the cracks, not just the dramatic breakdowns. It's in the irritability you can't shake, the creativity that feels out of reach, and the growing distance between you and the work you once cared about.

EMOTIONAL

Irritability - Cynicism - Disconnection

This can look like treating work as a checklist instead of seeing the bigger picture, interpreting feedback as criticism or threat, or feeling emotionally numb; disconnected from wins and unmoved by setbacks.

PHYSICAL

Fatigue - Illness - Sleep Disruption

This can look like constant exhaustion that rest doesn't fix, recurring headaches or muscle tension, and trouble sleeping; whether it's falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up still tired.

BEHAVIORAL

Procrastination - Missed Commitments - Over-Delegating/Controlling

This can look like avoiding tasks or delaying decisions, pulling back from team interactions, or swinging the other way; micromanaging and over-controlling to compensate for feeling out of control.

Recognizing the signs is only the first step. The harder, and braver, move is leading them in real time, without letting burnout pull you or your team under.

Leading Through It Without Collapsing

Leading while burned out isn't about pretending you're fine, it's about stripping back to what matters most so you can protect your energy without abandoning your role.

Framework For Self Leadership While Burned Out

NAME IT

Admit to yourself that you're in burnout. This isn't weakness, it's leadership intelligence.

Why it matters: You can't fix what you refuse to face, and denial only delays recovery.

STRIP BACK TO THE ESSENTIALS

Identify the three most critical things only you can do right now. Delegate or pause the rest.

Why it matters: Every unnecessary task you carry steals energy from the work that truly needs you.

COMMUNICATE WISELY

You don't have to share every detail, but be transparent enough that your team understands why priorities might shift.

EXAMPLE

"I'm going to be more focused on X for the next few weeks, so Y and Z will shift to [person/team]."

Why it matters: Clarity prevents your team from guessing, or assuming the worst, about your focus and availability.

PROTECT ENERGY LIKE REVENUE

Block recovery time in your calendar as if it's a meeting with your biggest client. Because if you go down, the whole system feels it.

Why it matters: Your capacity is a strategic resource, and it deserves the same protection as your most valuable assets.

FIND A TRUSTED SOUNDING BOARD

Peer, mentor, coach; someone outside your direct chain who can help you see options when you're too deep in the fog.

Why it matters: Distance brings perspective, and outside eyes can help you see the moves burnout blinds you to.

Leading yourself through burnout isn't just about survival, it's an opportunity to set a new standard for how work is done. When you model recovery out loud, you give your team permission to protect their own capacity, too.

Turning Burnout Into a Cultural Shift

Burnout doesn't have to be a private battle. Handled well, your recovery can become a blueprint for a healthier, more sustainable culture.

That might mean normalizing conversations about capacity (including your own) and openly sharing the systems you've put in place to protect your energy as a leader. It means modeling healthy work-life boundaries, so your team sees that balance isn't a privilege, it's a practice.

When leaders recover out loud, they send a powerful message: success here doesn't require self-sacrifice.

Leadership Starts Inside

You can't lead your team through burnout if you're drowning in it yourself. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for them, and for yourself, is step back, strip down to what matters, and rebuild your capacity before it breaks you.