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Navigating the many pressures of leadership can push even the most seasoned CEOs to the brink of burnout. Many factors contribute to CEO burnout. For example, CEOs often feel that the company’s success — and its employees’ livelihoods — rests on their shoulders. They face decision-making that requires constant vigilance. Isolation at the top, where CEOs lack peers to confide in, further exacerbates mental fatigue.
The struggle to maintain balance between personal and professional life can result in neglected relationships and well-being. And ongoing economic factors that are outside their control — such as heightened inflation, geopolitical tensions, changing workplace dynamics and emerging technologies — drain business leaders.
When burnout sets in for leaders, common patterns emerge: reacting instead of thinking, losing sight of strategy and failing to delegate tasks effectively. CEOs become unpredictable, hypervigilant, unclear in their directions or even disengaged. While stress may arise periodically, burnout manifests as unfocused, undisciplined work and a lack of joy.
To effectively combat burnout, great leaders implement the following six prevention strategies:
Related: 4 Ways to Combat Burnout Before It Even Starts
1. Maintain good habits
Effective leaders avoid over-scheduling. Refraining from back-to-back meetings and prioritizing planning time allows leaders to allocate each decision the attention it deserves. Being disciplined around regular exercise and adequate sleep are foundational to maintaining well-being. CEOs who establish boundaries in order to maintain good habits sustain peak performance for themselves and their companies.
2. Seek peer support
Engaging with peer advisory groups or mentors provides CEOs with a confidential space to discuss challenges and receive support from those who share similar leadership struggles. Peer advisory groups offer objective perspectives from leaders who don’t have a vested interest in the business outcome. Fellow CEOs can also hold peers accountable for effective decision-making in a way that most others cannot. Hearing from CEOs who have been through the same challenges helps peers to gain insights. Peer advisory groups also allow leaders to be a resource to others, offering wisdom from their experience.
3. Allocate time for strategic thinking
The world’s best leaders also carve out time to work on the business. Regularly scheduling uninterrupted time for strategic planning and reflection allows CEOs to step back from day-to-day operations, assess priorities and set clear, achievable goals. By dedicating time to strategic initiatives and long-term planning, leaders can focus on the organization’s growth and sustainability instead of just confronting immediate operational demands.
Related: 7 Proven Ways to Beat Burnout
4. Opt for direct communication
Many CEOs are reluctant to enroll their team in facing the brutal facts. When CEOs recognize they are burnt out, it’s time to immediately delegate the major challenges the company is facing to the executive team. This helps to elevate the team’s thinking to a more strategic level around the mission and the vision. CEOs who start to feel like they have to know all the answers discover that it’s helpful to start asking their team a lot more questions, allowing everyone to uncover the truth and engage in finding the solution together.
Direct communication also means replacing excessive email exchanges with face-to-face conversations, whether in person or virtual. Clear communication reduces ambiguity, fosters collaboration and strengthens relationships. The most successful CEOs prioritize open dialogue to build trust and alignment across teams, enhancing productivity and morale.
5. Address significant decisions promptly
Often, burnout results from long-standing unaddressed issues. Failure to make a critical decision that has been lingering, frequently involving personnel, can amplify stress and hinder progress. Tackling these decisions head-on promotes clarity, efficiency and a healthier work environment.
6. Focus on others
Amid intense stress, CEOs can fall into martyr mode and feel like they are a victim of their circumstances. Great CEOs focus on what they can control and take action. Another surefire antidote to that intense focus on oneself is to embrace gratitude and find ways to help others. Individuals really start to discover who they are when they aid those who are struggling. Fostering meaningful connections and giving back — whether that be volunteering for a cause you care about, involvement in a religious community or simply spending time with a friend or family member — can immediately transform a leader’s mindset. Maintaining meaningful connections with peers, family and the community allows best-in-class CEOs to nurture a balanced perspective.
Related: 5 Burnout Warning Signs (and How to Respond)
By incorporating these strategies into consistent routines and adopting a proactive approach, effective CEOs manage the stress of leadership with resilience. They’re able to ward off burnout. Maintaining healthy habits, fostering meaningful connections with peers and staying focused on the mission, vision and strategy not only safeguard against burnout but also cultivate a positive company culture. As leaders focus on grounded decision-making, they set a precedent for a thriving workplace.
