Leadership Burnout – How to Spot Warning Signs and Reclaim Wellbeing
Introduction
Leadership can be highly rewarding, but at times, its demands can feel relentless. The drive to achieve, support teams, and navigate challenges can bring purpose — but also, for many leaders, prolonged stress. Left unchecked, this can lead to burnout: a gradual, cumulative process that can erode even the most resilient leaders’ mental health and sense of wellbeing.
According to DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025, ‘71% of global leaders report experiencing significantly higher stress levels since stepping into their current roles. This increased stress has led to concerns about burnout, with 54% of stressed leaders worried about burnout‘.
Burnout isn’t simply about being tired or overwhelmed. It’s a progressive condition, specific to the workplace environment, with identifiable stages. Understanding these can help you, as leader, to recognise where you — or your team members — might be, and how to take timely, compassionate action.
First, it’s important to delineate stress from burnout.
Stress vs Burnout: What’s the Difference?
Stress and burnout are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Stress is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives.’ Stress often produces heightened emotions, over-engagement, and a sense that, with effort, things can be brought under control.
Burnout, according to WHO, is ‘a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.‘ It is characterized by three key dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy. Burnout is specifically an occupational phenomenon and should not be applied to other areas of life.
Burnout, according to American Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, has five phases.
Stage 1: The Honeymoon Phase
This initial stage often comes at the start of a new role, project, or initiative. There’s high level of enthusiasm, energy, and optimism. Leaders might even feel invincible — motivated by purpose, eager to prove themselves, and willing to go above and beyond.
What it looks like:
- Volunteering for extra work
- Long hours and high drive without fatigue
- Overlooking the need for rest, support, or boundaries
Risk: Because it feels so positive, it’s easy to miss the early signs that habits are forming now — like neglecting rest or personal needs — this can become harmful later.
What helps: Set healthy work rhythms from the outset. Block out time for regular breaks, personal priorities, and reflection. Celebrate your wins without tying your self-worth solely to performance.
Stage 2: Onset of Stress
As time progresses, demands increase or initial excitement begins to fade. You might start feeling that your efforts aren’t matched by the rewards, or that you’re operating at a pace you cannot maintain.
What it looks like:
- Mild irritability or mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating or relaxing after hours
- Skipping meals, exercise, or sleep in order to keep up
Risk: Stress starts to feel like a normal part of life, but your nervous system is constantly activated. Emotional reactivity may creep in, and personal routines begin to erode.
What helps: Reassess priorities. Speak openly with colleagues or mentors about your workload. Introduce short recovery practices — walking meetings, tech-free lunch breaks, or breathing exercises. Start saying “no” or “not now” when you need too.
Stage 3: Chronic Stress
Without intervention, the stress becomes sustained and begins to impact your performance, relationships, and health. Work feels heavier, and even rest doesn’t seem to recharge you fully.
What it looks like:
- Ongoing fatigue, even after sleep
- Feelings of failure or inadequacy
- Avoidance of responsibilities or social activities
Risk: You may begin disconnecting from people and passions. Errors increase. You might feel emotionally flat or easily overwhelmed. Stress no longer comes and goes — it’s presence is constant.
What helps: Now is the time for significant change. Seek support through coaching, psychotherapy, or talking with trusted colleagues. Offload non-essential work. Rebuild recovery practices: time outdoors, hobbies, rest, and meaningful connections.
Stage 4: Burnout
At this point, the body and mind are signalling that they can no longer sustain the load. Leaders may feel emotionally hollow, chronically exhausted, and detached — not only from work, but from their own identity or values.
What it looks like:
- Detachment from work, colleagues, or goals
- Frequent illness, headaches, or gastrointestinal issues
- Apathy, cynicism, or feelings of emptiness
Risk: Professional effectiveness and personal relationships often suffer. You may question your role, value, or future. Tasks that once seemed manageable now feel insurmountable.
What helps: Take this seriously. Seek professional help from a GP or mental health oriented expert. You may need extended time away from work. Rest, reflection, and support are essential. This is not failure — it’s your system asking for healing.
Stage 5: Habitual Burnout
If burnout remains unresolved, it can become a persistent state, deeply embedded in your life. This stage can impact your health long-term, often leading to anxiety disorders, depression, or physical conditions.
What it looks like:
- Constant fatigue or brain fog
- Withdrawal from meaningful relationships or activities
- Loss of purpose, identity, or direction
Risk: Without intervention, this stage can take months or even years to recover from. Leaders may leave their roles altogether or struggle to re-engage with work they once loved.
What helps: A multi-layered recovery approach is required. Psychotherapy, possibly medical support, and a complete lifestyle reassessment. Rediscovering your values, redefining success, and gradually rebuilding boundaries are key to long-term healing.
How To Recover From Burnout: A Leader’s Toolkit
Burnout isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s a signal that something important needs attention. The good news? Recovery is possible, and prevention is powerful.
Here are some tools leaders can use to begin to both recover from and prevent burnout:
- Model healthy habits
Leaders set the tone. Prioritise rest, healthy boundaries, and self-care. When you do, your team is more likely to do the same. - Create psychological safety
Foster an environment where people feel safe to speak openly about challenges, stress, and capacity without fear of judgment. - Reconnect with purpose
Reflect on your values and what truly drives you. Aligning your daily actions with your deeper “why” builds resilience and clarity. - Invest in emotional wellbeing
Regular check-ins with yourself and others, psychotherapy, mindfulness, and writing a journal entry can help process emotions and prevent overwhelm. - Build a diverse support network
Don’t lead in isolation. Connect with mentors, peers, and communities who understand the pressures of leadership and can offer perspective.
Final Thoughts
Burnout doesn’t arrive all at once — it’s the result of many small signals being overlooked. As a leader, your wellbeing is not a secondary priority. It’s the foundation of your effectiveness, empathy, and impact.
By learning to recognise the stages of burnout and taking proactive, compassionate steps, you not only protect yourself — you model a healthier, more sustainable culture of leadership for those around you.
For tailored burnout recovery support for you or someone you know, please contact me, Belinda Joseph-Pirame Psychotherapist and Executive Coach, by telephone at 07714 208837 or by email at [email protected]
