As we enter March, I’m noticing an unsettling pattern across several leadership teams I’m working with: in many cases, key contributors are already showing early signs of burnout — and we are only two months into the year.
For senior leaders, this is more than a workload issue. It is often an early signal about how the operating environment is functioning.
Most leaders respond appropriately when they see the warning signs. They try to reduce workload, rebalance priorities, and protect their top talent. That instinct is correct — sustained nights and weekends are rarely a healthy steady state for any team.
However, there is another dimension worth examining.
In Grow Your Business UP! (p. 105), I describe the “judo” of preempting burnout: designing an environment where people are energized to do their best work in the first place.
Early in my career at Silicon Graphics, I worked what most would consider unreasonable hours. Yet I did not experience burnout. The difference was not the workload alone — it was the environment. The work was meaningful, the relationships were strong, and we were pampered with cushy offices, lavish parties, and cutting-edge tools.
To be clear, this is not a justification for overwork. But it does highlight an important leadership question: burnout is often less about isolated workload spikes and more about whether the surrounding environment is enabling or draining your best people.
As you look across your own teams this quarter, it may be worth asking:
Are we simply managing workload — or are we intentionally designing an environment where our best people can sustainably thrive?
I’d be interested to hear what you are seeing in your organization.
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