Modern life is busy, it’s full on and at times, can feel hard. Now combine that with the globalisation of firms, multi time-zone meetings and little time to stop, breathe and recover. It’s hardly surprising that we’re seeing more cases of executive burnout.
There’s no sure-fire way to prevent burnout, but we can take steps to build our mental resilience and provide us with the balance we need to allow us that all important time to pause. In doing so, we’re helping not only ourselves but those around us to avoid burnout and stay effective.
The burnt toast moment
Burnout doesn’t arrive all of a sudden one day. It gradually creeps in over time. You go from being stressed but ok, to a bit more tired, to withdrawing until you’re in full blown burnout. If we want to define burnout then it’s an accumulation of stress that builds over time in an unrelenting manner.
For many, it’s unexpected and confusing. One of my clients who ended last year completely burnt out had reached a point where she felt the only option was to stop, step away and properly rest, which is what she did.
The analogy she used, which stays with me, is that of burnt toast.
When you burn toast, you don’t try to scrape the blackened bits off and pretend it’s fine, because it still tastes burnt. You throw it away and start over.
That’s how she felt. There was no point papering over the cracks, the damage was done and it was time to start over.
"When you burn toast, you don't try to scrape the blackened bits off and pretend it's fine, because it still tastes burnt. You throw it away and start over."
Why leaders are especially vulnerable to burnout
There’s a feeling of responsibility that comes with being a leader. You often feel like you need to have the answers, need to be the calm in the storm and need to always show confidence. Over time those feelings can wear you down. Combine that with an “always on” culture and it’s easy to see why burnout is so common amongst leaders.
Leaders are expected to be swans - calm, serene, gliding through their day. At times, under the water they’re paddling furiously trying to deal with the responsibility overload and emotional toll that working at such a high level brings.
The pressure to handle it all without cracking can be too much. Particularly if you don’t have a support network or people around you to share the burden with. New research has found that60% of leaders feel “used up”by the end of the workday. That’s a worryingly high number that are on a path to burnout.
Many who experience burnout report that it’s a combination of long-term stress, unrelenting work demands and uncertainty which grind you down.
This is on the increase in modern workplaces where leaders are constantly on call. With leaders responsible for multi location jurisdictions, it can often feel like a 24/7 culture. Waking up to multi emails/teams messages and calls and working through time zones until late into the evening.
Bring into this work travel and jet lag, and a whole different level of tiredness and stress can impact you, (or is that just me….?!).
Stress vs burnout: knowing the difference
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell where stress ends and burnout begins. It’s natural that a leadership role is going to come with a certain amount of stress, challenging decisions, difficult situations and the responsibility of leading a business isn’t for the fainthearted.
That’s why it’s key to understand the difference between the two so you can identify early warning signs of burnout and take action.
Stress
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines stress as“the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.”Stress is often short term, and while it might impact you, you’re still able to engage in the activity that’s causing you stress.
Everyone has different tolerance levels to stress, for some they thrive under the pressure, while others can quickly suffer adverse effects. Some signs of stress can include:
● Irritable or short tempered
● Tiredness
● Low mood
● Avoiding social situations
● Poor concentration
It’s important to remember that stress (and burnout) will present differently for everyone so those symptoms aren’t exhaustive.
Burnout
The World Health Organization (WHO) have recognised burnout as an occupational phenomenon, and classed it as a syndrome - a collection of symptoms or signs associated with a specific health-related cause.
Those suffering from burnout feel detached and demotivated to an extent that they struggle to function and can’t see their situation changing. It often happens when you have repeated and extended demands that exceed your personal resources. Burnout impacts not just your work life but can extend to your home life too.
Again, the symptoms vary person to person but can include:
● Exhaustion
● Insomnia
● Self doubt
● Procrastination
● Decreased productivity
● Withdrawing from people and events
● Loss of interest or enjoyment
● High blood pressure
There comes a point where stress tips into burnout. It’s not always easy to spot, and it might not be you that identifies it.
When your stress levels get to a point that they’re unsustainable the first step is a conversation with a trusted person. That might be someone at work or at home.
Identifying how you’re feeling and feeling heard is really important. From there you can find further support, knowing you’ve got someone in your corner.
Knowing the difference between stress vs burnout is key.
The glimmers and non-negotiables of sustainable leadership
Burnout doesn’t have to be the default for leaders. Taking a sustainable approach to build your resilience can give you outlets and protection to get you through the challenging times.
Recognising that looking after your mental health is just as important as a leader as keeping up-to-date with industry developments can be the turning point that changes you from a good leader to a proactive one.
All leaders should consider their glimmers/non-negotiables. That is to say, the actions and boundaries that are essential to their mental health and happiness.
Exercise, time out and boundaries are all crucial to this. It might be that your non-negotiable is no emails at the weekend. Weekends are your sacred time to fully switch off. Communicate that, and then stick to it. It’s only through your own self-discipline that those non-negotiables will happen and over time you’ll feel the mental benefits from that.
For others, preparing on a Sunday for the week ahead is essential to feel ready and raring to go on a Monday morning.
For my client who suffered burnout, the answer lay in being intentional about recovery - finding ways for her to switch off and building small consistent habits to project her energy. She’s learned that ultimately her performance depends on restoration.
What are you committing to this year?
It’s never too late into the year to set yourself a goal. If, when reading this, you can’t think of your non-negotiables then it’s time to get intentional. Think about protecting not only your time but your energy.
What activities outside of work bring you joy and re-energise you? It could be reading, a good coffee, music, running, amazing food, spending time with family or friends - find those glimmers of joy and embed them into your life.
Choose 1-3 habits that are going to become your new non-negotiables, communicate them and stick to them.
At first it might feel uncomfortable but they’re so important in the long run to create a long, sustainable career where you thrive rather than simply surviving.
For me personally, running has been my constant wherever I am in the world, and has been one of the most important things I've done for my wellbeing.
Leading by example
Burnout can happen at any level. The more we encourage our teams to look after themselves and identify their non-negotiables, then the more resilience they’ll build.
When they become leaders they’ll be in a more robust position to deal with what’s thrown at them. Those in junior positions need to see what that looks like, we need to lead by example, and lead loudly.
It’s no good deciding that you’re going to fix time for the gym in your diary and then telling no-one. Make sure the team knows the reason you aren’t available is because you’re exercising, and that it’s ok to do the same.
When leaders model that behaviour it will ripple down through your team, until you’ve got a culture of protecting your mental health and building that crucial resilience.
It is also important to remember that there will be times as a leader where you will have to work longer hours if there is an urgent piece of work that needs completing, or a crisis that needs to be dealt with. This is why it is important in times of BAU to build your own glimmers.
Sustainable leadership is a choice
Nobody chooses burnout, but we can choose to take steps to help prevent us from experiencing it.
Sustainable leadership is about creating working habits that support your mental health and that we can choose to do.
There’s a whole other discussion around what to do when you’re in the throes of burnout. For anyone serious about career progression and their own mental health, choosing sustainable ways of working is a non-negotiable in itself.
About Nicky Acuña Ocaña
With over 25 years of experience leading high‑performing recruitment teams, Nicky Acuña Ocaña is a dynamic leader in the recruitment industry. As President, Americas, UK and Europe at Ambition, she oversees specialist teams connecting top talent with professional services firms.
Her US division focuses on Legal Marketing and Business Development recruitment, while the UK and Europe teams specialise in Business Services roles across Legal, Practice and Consultancy.
A passionate advocate for Allyship, Belonging and Inclusion, Nicky is a sought‑after keynote speaker and regular contributor to industry conversations on leadership, hiring, retention, and inclusive cultures.
