5 mistakes – and 5 better strategies – for leading someone with burnout

Let’s say you suspect someone in your team may be suffering from burnout. What should you do?

Here are five common mistakes that leaders make when it comes to leading someone who is or who may be experiencing burnout – and what you should do instead.

1. You assume its burnout.
   We all think we know what burnout looks like, but it can be tricky to diagnose. Not only that, but some of the symptoms can be due to something else entirely.

   Instead: If you think one of your team has burnout, hold that assumption lightly. When it comes to identifying burnout, there are three red flags or symptoms to watch out for that I’ve explored in more depth in other articles; chronic exhaustion, cynicism or depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment or professional efficacy. As well as being aware of the signs of burnout, talk with your team about the red flags in a supportive and non-judgemental way and work mental wellness conversations into your one-on-ones too. It’s important for someone to seek professional medical advice if they’re experiencing these symptoms.

2. You blame the individual or think that they are somehow mentally weak.
   The myth that those who suffer from burnout can’t handle stress or are poor performers is unfortunately a pervasive one.

   Instead: The research shows that unequivocally that is not the case. In fact, it can be your most dedicated and passionate employees – your highest performers – who are most at risk of burnout. Zoom out to consider your team member’s overall performance and look at whether their current symptoms are typical or recent.

3. You think that them taking a break, having some time off or going for a holiday will solve the problem.
   Sure, taking a short break may be useful in the short term, but it’s important to identify the root causes of their burnout in the first place.

   Instead: Become familiar with the six causes of burnout which I outline here. Explore together which one of these causes might be at play in this situation and what you can do to help them solve those, working within your circle of control and influence.

4. You just take stuff off them.
   One of the causes of burnout is a lack of control and arbitrarily taking work away from someone who is experiencing burnout might exacerbate this as well as potentially causing overwork for other team members or yourself.

   Instead: Work together with your team member to co-create a solution moving forward. Consider their strengths and how they can work more from those. One surgeon I interviewed for the book definitely didn’t want to stop working – she loved her job, but together with her manager they worked out how they could redistribute some of her responsibilities in the short term and even looked at work design around areas they could cut completely which were red tape and unnecessary.

5. You think it’s an individual problem not a team or organisational one.
   It is often true that the burnt out individual is the ‘canary in the coal mine’.

   Instead: Remember burnout is an organisational problem. If one person is suffering from burnout, there may be others who are on the burnout on-ramp and are currently soldiering on. Start conversations around wellbeing, workloads and burnout prevention with all your team and your direct manager to uncover any risks at a systemic or ecosystem level.

Too often the onus for buffering against, or recovering from, burnout is put on the individual. There’s a lot that leaders and organisations can do. And still, even well-meaning managers who understand this can get it wrong. Yet, with some care and consideration, it’s possible to support a burnt out team member and buffer others in your team from suffering from more of the same.

For more information, and as a great conversation starter, pick up a copy of my book Beyond Burnout.