Leaders: Stop Wearing Burnout as a Badge!

You show up early. You stay late. You carry the hard calls. You do it because you care about your people.

Don’t get me wrong; that drive to serve is a good thing. But it cannot sustain you forever. 

Burnout rarely happens all at once.

It starts by noticing the little things that fall through the cracks; You’re constantly distracted, even when having important conversations.

You find yourself behind, playing catch-up with yesterday’s problems, with no time to be proactive. 

The truth is this:

When you’re ‘Heroing’, taking on more than you can handle, you actually become the problem. Far from being Atlas holding the world on your shoulders, you end up keeping your team from reaching their potential.

You stall their progress, burning yourself out at the same time. 

 “Well, Michael,” I hear you saying, “That sounds right, but what do you do about it?”

For starters, you don’t need a retreat.

You don’t need a self-actualization guide. You need a practical plan that fits into a busy week. You need a few steady habits that protect your energy and your leadership.

The first step is starting with a time audit.:

• For one week, intentionally track how you spend your hours.

• Getting a real handle on the problem is first.

• Use that data to find the low-value tasks that siphon your focus, that you can delegate and get off your plate.

My clients consistently do this to free up five to ten reclaimable hours per week; that’s your starting point. 

Now that you’re getting your time back, this is the key:

Protect one ‘Power Hour’ each day. 

Block it on your calendar, and protect it jealously like a meeting with the CEO of another company. Use that hour to think, not to empty your email inbox.

This is your time to get your priorities straight, identify difficult conversations, and take a step back from the concerns of the day. 

Delegation is an excellent example of this principle in practice;  Pick a task you’ll sign off on today.

Move it to someone else and set a post-decision check-in. Ask them to tell you what went well and what they learned. That gives them experience and gives you space.

For difficult conversations, practice the Rule of 7s. New habits and boundary-setting conversations need repetition. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a necessary interaction, run the same role play or delegation script six or seven times.

Make it routine until it feels normal. 

From here, you’ve got a handle on your time, you’re holding your team accountable for delegated tasks, and you’re being proactive. Now it’s time to forecast into the future: 

• Make small, visible development plans.

• A 90-day plan for each direct report is not a luxury; it’s an insurance policy.

• Set one or two measurable goals, review them in weekly updates - one or two minutes will do.

When people know what they are building, they need less direction.

This is easy when you use simple rhythms; A five-minute morning huddle to set priorities. A weekly 30-minute coaching one-on-one. A Friday 10-minute wrap-up to name wins and reset expectations. Small, consistent rhythms beat big, infrequent promises.

Now imagine the result. Picture walking into the new year with space to think. 

Your inbox is small. 

Decisions get made fast. 

Your team steps up because you trained them to. 

You spend time coaching, not fixing. 

You show up present for high-stakes conversations. 

Your energy is Back!

This is not about soft self-care. It is operational, measurable, and repeatable, and can have the biggest impact on your organization. 

If you need help implementing these processes, becoming accountable, and acquiring a higher level for yourself and your leadership role, reach out. I help leaders accomplish more every day - I’d love to help you too.

Lead Boldly,

-MW

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