Stress & Burn-out

The most common workplace phenomena related to suboptimal or absent well-being are stress and burn-out. For example, in 2022 half of the U.S. physicians reported burn-out.¹³ There are numerous sources of stress and burn-out at work, and what they all have in common is their ability to take up the leader’s mental space at the expense of pursuit of positive work-related goals. Cognitive and emotional resources devoted to managing chronic stress, excessive workloads, unreasonable bureaucracy, or difficult workplace relationships are allocated to these issues at the expense of engagement and performance.

Christina Maslach,¹⁴ the pioneer of research on burn-out, has been invaluable in refuting the belief that dealing with stress and burn-out is the sole responsibility of the individual, including the leader. Well-being for Leaders^TM embraces her view that organizations may and do contribute to their leaders’ well-being – or the lack of it. Consequently, the responsibility for leaders’ well-being lies in part within the organizations.

Many types of stress at work can be effectively addressed with the help of 1:1 coaching for the depleted leader. Severe burn-out may require a medical and/or mental health intervention which is beyond the scope of our services, but 1:1 coaching can assist the leader in deciding when and where to seek such help. Many sources of stress and burn-out are fully within organizational control.¹⁵ Well-being for Leaders^TM offers consulting and speaking to help organizations and businesses address these areas.