Ten habits that quietly cause burnout in leaders
We like to think that the key to burnout prevention is simply working less, but it's way more complicated than that.
Photo by The Wilson Media Co.
You likely have several habits that you think are helping you as a leader but in reality, they're actually causing your burnout and hurting your credibility as a leader. A lot of these habits are what helped you as an individual contributor, and got you where you are today, but they're no longer sustainable.
Today we're covering ten common habits that are causing you more stress, miscommunications, and ultimately making you work less efficiently. For each habit, I've included recommended blog posts as a next step to help you shift these habits and become a more sustainable high-performing leader.
1.Always saying yes to everyone when they ask for your help.
This sounds like such a positive habit because you're being a team player, you're showing your value, and people can rely on you, right? The problem isn't helping other people, it's when you're always saying yes without considering your other priorities. Oftentimes, you're making other people's problems your priority, then your own priorities get pushed to later and you have to catch up after hours or constantly feel behind.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Managing your time and schedule intentionally as a leader.
2.Treating everything as if it's urgent to prove how capable you are.
This sounds like responding to every request with "yes, I can get that to you by the end of the day/week" without even thinking about it. We love to blame our boss when we're super busy, but a lot of times we're overcommitting ourselves by being unrealistic with our commitments and deadlines. We need to think through our various priorities and deadlines, add buffer times to how long we think a task will take, and not be afraid to push back on deadlines that simply aren't realistic.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Feeling overwhelmed? How to prioritize your projects and tasks in five simple steps.
3.Doing tasks yourself instead of delegating because it’s ‘faster if I do it.’
It might be faster for you to complete the task one time than teaching someone to do it for the first time, however, imagine the time you can save with that person doing this task instead of you every week. Sometimes we have to slow down in order to speed up. Yes, it's painful to slow down at first when you're teaching someone something and then need to review their work the first few times. But the few extra minutes now can save you hours over the next few months.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: How and when to delegate as a leader.
4.Fixing your teammate’s mistakes because it’s ‘faster if I do it.'
This sounds helpful at first to just get a project over the finish line and give your teammate feedback after the fact. But I've seen this play out over and over again that when you start to do this, your teammate will become disengaged because they know that you'll just fix their mistakes anyways. It becomes a perpetuating cycle of them relying on you more and more and not thinking critically and just going through the bare minimum motions. They're not being challenged enough and they don't feel like they have autonomy so they stop caring.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Four steps to empower your employees.
5.Powering through your busy season on your own and never asking for help.
I'll be the first to admit that when I'm in a busy season, I just want to put my head down, work as much as I can, and go into autopilot 'robot Brittany' mode. It feels easier to put more hours in by myself than to brainstorm ideas with others, ask for help, or ever take a break. Please learn from my mistakes: my work output is always better when I snap out of autopilot 'work-as-hard-and-as-fast-as-I-can' mode and can get support and take breaks from my desk.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Managing your time and schedule intentionally as a leader.
6.Assuming everyone is on the same page because they haven’t asked any questions.
How many times have you been in a meeting where one person has been talking for most of the meeting and then at the end they ask "Any questions? No? Okay great that's it for today!" Just because there weren't questions asked in that exact moment doesn't mean (1) there weren't any questions (2) we all comprehended what was just explained (3) we all know exactly what to do now. At minimum, my favorite framework to help here is to share at the end of each meeting "Who does what by when" to reiterate what we discussed and get everyone on the same page.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Habits that will make your meetings more efficient.
7.Approaching each day as if your inbox decides what you work on that day.
I know this is going to call a lot of people out - stay with me here! For most of us, when we first started our career in individual contributor roles, other people had to give us direction and tell us what to work on. This can be a comfortable place to be, you just show up each day and someone else is deciding what's most important. But as we grow in our career and move into leadership positions, we need to be proactive and strategic about our own work (and that of our team if we have one). We can't be constantly reacting to emails and doing what everyone else is asking of us, or else we will be running around putting out fires (or fake fires) and not making any real progress on our own goals and objectives.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Managing your time and schedule intentionally as a leader.
8.Catching up on work on the weekends.
This sounds like a great way to get ahead but it's a huge contributing factor to burnout for you and your team. We need time on the weekends to unplug from work and give our minds and body a break. It's crucial for recharging mentally which then allows us to think more clearly and be more energized. And when our team members receive emails and messages over the weekend, you're setting the example that they should be doing the same. Then you're going to burn out your team and nobody will be able to think clearly or be energized at work.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Managing your time and schedule intentionally as a leader.
9.Constantly rescheduling or cancelling internal meetings at the last minute.
A lot of times people celebrate this as 'you'll get an hour back in your day.' But I want to challenge you to (1) audit the cadence or length of these meetings and (2) use the time more strategically. If you keep cancelling them, you’re either not prepared for the meeting or you’re not supporting one another enough. We need internal meetings to have clear objectives and expectations. So many of us fall into the habit of just status meetings that are easy to cancel. That means you're not having meaningful meetings.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: Habits that will make your meetings more efficient.
10.Saving feedback for your team members for performance review conversations.
This sounds right at first because that's what performance review conversations are for, right? Well, if you're only giving feedback to your team members quarterly or annually, they may never meet your expectations and you're setting them up to fail. Feedback needs to be an on-going conversation all year long, preferably during regularly scheduled (weekly or bi-weekly) one-on-ones and as needed, one-off conversations after specific meetings or projects.
If this sounds like you, I recommend reading: How to hold someone accountable as a leader.
Ready to take the next step in identifying the root causes of your burnout? Download the free guide: What's Causing Your Burnout?In it, you'll analyze 29 different factors at both work and home to narrow down what is currently having the most impact on you.
Brittany Canaski is a highly-rated Leadership Coach, Trainer, and Founder of Hello Velocity where she builds confident leaders and high-performing teams. When she's not building her business, you can find her planning her next travel adventure with her husband, watching Formula 1 racing, or volunteering in her local community of Charlotte, NC.
