Burnout doesn’t happen because people can’t handle pressure. It happens because people aren’t given space to recover.
We glorify “always on” cultures – late-night emails, back-to-back meetings, leaders who brag about running on four hours of sleep. But exhaustion isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a warning sign.
Arianna Huffington once said: “We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.”
The best leaders I know don’t champion working harder. They model boundaries. They normalize rest. They show their teams that it’s about giving the best of you - not what’s left of you.
What’s one small shift you can make?
Change your meeting culture. I once worked for a company that introduced 25-min and 50-min meetings as a default. Simple idea - massive impact.
Update manager expectations so that leaders encourage sustainable working and model healthy boundaries.
Incorporate wellbeing check-ins into engagement surveys or pulse surveys, so you can spot burnout ‘hotspots’ early.