At my job, there is currently a lot going on within the organization and my team. Several important deadlines are approaching, and times like this can quickly become stressful. Recently, my boss reminded the team that the most important thing is to prioritize mental health and avoid burning out — something they have emphasized this point many times. That message has stuck with me. When burnout is overlooked by leadership, performance declines. Avoiding burnout does not mean taking your foot off the gas, but pumping the breaks when necessary.
So why should leaders focus on avoiding burnout so strongly? As the video above explains, burnout can develop gradually when stress from too much responsibility begins to wear a person down mentally and emotionally. Over time, this reduces focus, motivation, and overall effectiveness; not only at work, but in other aspects of life as well. When burnout takes over, performance becomes extremely difficult to sustain.
Because of this, leaders must be mindful of the factors that affect their teams, like pressure, expectations, or other things happening in their personal lives. Pushing for high results is important, but when workloads take over without time to recover, burnout becomes much more likely. When this happens, team members often struggle with the same level of focus and productivity. Over time, the pressure designed to drive performance can begin to weaken it if not dealt with correctly.
It is important to find a balance between pushing for results and protecting the long-term stability of employees. In an article by GrowthForce, “How To Prevent Employee Burnout & Maximize Productivity”, they provide several tips for managers and leaders to help preserve the mental health of their teams. They emphasize the importance of advocating for breaks and encouraging employees to take time away from work when needed. One line I really like from the end of the article states, “If you have a great culture, you will have high-performing teams. A human capital management strategy and a financial management strategy go hand in hand.”
Avoiding burnout is not about lowering standards. Instead, it is about managing pressure in a way that allows people to consistently perform at a high level. When leaders are able to find the right balance between pushing for results and protecting the well-being of their teams, they contribute to a culture that allows people to truly thrive.I want to end with a few questions from the video and encourage you to answer them in the comments: Have you ever experienced any of the stages of burnout? If so, how did you recognize them, and what helped you overcome them?
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