How do you approach coaching a leader who is experiencing burnout from excessive work hours?

Coaching a leader through burnout requires empathy and actionable steps. First, create a safe space to deeply understand their struggles. Recognize the emotional toll and prioritize essential tasks that align with their values. Redefine success to include well-being, and teach time management and boundary-setting techniques. Encourage self-care and build a support network. Develop a manageable action plan, celebrate small victories, and maintain regular check-ins. Foster a mindset shift toward rest and resilience, provide resources, and encourage reflection and adaptability. Help them find balance and joy in their journey.

Looking back at my own brush with burnout on the management front lines of one of the toughest union environments in Canada, I'm even more certain that my stress and anxiety were linked to my own belief system. Specifically, I was living from a belief system acquired from the culture of my parents, peers, and educational systems. Somehow I became the product of victim thinking—believing that if only others would change, then I could be happier. It was by doing the inner work of shifting into a belief system based on claiming my own inner peace and power that I calmed the anxiety that was driving my dissatisfaction with my life and my career.

The only thing that I would add is to consider all aspects of their life and the sources of stress. It's important to look beyond the presenting issues, dig deeper. It may be work, it may not be.

Eat, take a bath, and sleep is a timeless solution for burnout. The challenge is enabling leaders to adopt it. They must change their behaviors. In some casese, however, executives unintentionally or intentionally use burnout as an excuse to show tremendous efforts despite challenges. Facing such cases, I recommend leaders review and redefine their roles in their mind. Before changing behavior, they must change their self-role recognition. Roles like "the last man standing," "the Special Attack squad leader," or "the crusader" encourage self-sacrifice and lead to burnout. The effective intervention as the coach is to guide leaders so that they do not sacrifice themselves or hold themselves hostage.

Unfortunately those that suffer from burn out do not see the reality of how burned out they really are, it's human to live in denial and think you are ok. It's a coping mechanism. Your first step is to give them a mirror. Honestly...an actual mirror! Tell them that you are going to show them a person and they need to tell you exactly what they think about that person...they need to be honest. Then put the mirror in-front of them. And wait for them to respond. Be patient and listen. This self discovery method will lead to meaningful conversations that will give you opportunities to add real value when identifying the stressors.

Start with prioritisation. Successful executives prioritize their tasks based on importance and urgency, allowing them to focus on high-impact activities. Delegate: Delegating tasks to the right people empowers teams and helps executives manage their workload more efficiently. Ensure you focus on delegating the right tasks. Establish Clear Communication: Setting clear expectations and boundaries through effective and efficient communication helps executives maintain the right balance and avoid burnout.

It is good to begin with clarifying the key success factors for their role/position. This can frame a discussion around prioritization and delegation of the multitude of issues, tasks and projects they are dealing with. We ask questions like "Does this impact the bottom line", "Is it important or urgent?", "who else can handle this?", "Can you defer this? and even "does this need to be done". Also looking at the broader organization - do we have too many meetings with too many people (it can be scary to look at the cost of meetings based on the combined pay of the attendees) - can reduce burnout for a broad audience through initiatives like no meeting Fridays.

Introduce them to the kanban board, they can put their "to do" list and prioritize it, move the more important tasks on the doing list, ask them to put a WIP limit so they don't have a lot of tasks to tackle at any given time. Also because all of this will be visual, they can delegate tasks on the "to do" list assign the task and they will be able to see at any given moment what is happening and ask for status updates. This way that can free some mental capacity to use for their wellbeing.

Prioritizing tasks is key. Focus on high-impact activities, delegate where possible, and take regular breaks to recharge. This approach not only enhances productivity but also maintains your well-being. Remember, a balanced workload leads to sustainable success.

Burnout is not only about excessive work hours but also but the nature of the work leaders have to do. Add a layer to any prioritisation framework you may use, asking about the level of energy they get from doing X versus Y. This will also help them prioritise what needs to change first. As the priority is to get out of a burnout state.

Urgency & Importance: Focus on tasks that are both urgent (need immediate attention) and important (critical to goals). Delegate or reschedule less urgent/important tasks. Quick Wins: Tackle smaller, easily completed tasks first. Feeling accomplishment builds momentum and reduces overwhelm. Energy Levels: Schedule demanding tasks for peak energy times and delegate or schedule less demanding tasks for times of lower energy. Eliminate Unnecessary Tasks: Review workloads and identify tasks that can be eliminated or streamlined. Delegate & Empower: Empower team members to take ownership of tasks they can handle. This frees up the leader's time for high-level priorities.

For example, in one case I assisted a senior executive who was overwhelmed by a never-ending task list. Interestingly, the executive was prone to engage in busywork, leaving behind critical people decisions; as it was shown, the executive was insecure to delve into priority people management decisions including dealing with low performing junior managers and having to reprimand people for bad quality and repeated client complaints. The lack of proper prioritisation was thus partly caused by the leader's unwillingness to deal with specific matters kept under the carpet. By implementing a prioritisation framework and working on improving their people skills, we focused on genuinely high-impact activities and delegated less critical tasks.

In coaching leaders through burnout, I focus on leveraging their past experiences, particularly from sports or high-pressure environments, to build resilience. By recalling past successes in overcoming challenges, leaders can boost their confidence and develop a mental framework for tackling current stressors. I also recommend regular physical activity and team-based exercises to enhance mental and physical resilience. Drawing parallels between athletic training and business endurance helps leaders stay motivated and resilient in the face of adversity.

1. Self-Care Essentials: Sleep: Prioritize good sleep hygiene for energy recharge. Movement: Encourage regular exercise to manage stress. Nourishment: Promote healthy eating habits for mental and physical well-being. 2. Mindfulness & Positivity: Mindfulness Practices: Suggest meditation or deep breathing exercises to manage stress and improve focus. Gratitude: Encourage reflecting on positive aspects of work and life to cultivate a more positive outlook. 3. Support Systems: Social Connection: Promote building supportive relationships with colleagues or mentors. Professional Help: If needed, recommend seeking help from a therapist or counselor specializing in burnout.

I'd like to emphasize the importance of Spiritual Intelligence in fostering resilience. Beyond physical and mental techniques, “Spiritual Practices” can provide deeper meaning and purpose, helping leaders navigate stress with a higher sense of clarity. Consider guiding leaders to explore their core values and beliefs, which can serve as an anchor during challenging times. By integrating “Spiritual Awareness” into their routine, we address not just the symptoms but the root cause of burnout, promoting a truly Holistic "Healing" approach.

The role of the coach goes beyond simply advising; it should facilitate the leader's awareness of the importance of work-life balance. This includes helping the leader identify and modify unsustainable work patterns, promoting the setting of clear limits and the adoption of self-care practices. The coach can also guide the leader in creating an organizational culture that values well-being, encouraging flexible scheduling policies, regular breaks and mutual support among team members. Thus, coaching not only restores the leader's health, but also strengthens leadership, inspiring a healthy and productive work culture.

I love the idea of "filling up your own cup first 🌱" It's not selfish to prioritize our care first. We may find ourselves stuck if we lack the necessary resources yet aspire to accomplish big things. So, we can't pour out for others what we don't first have in our own bottle.

In one case,I worked with a chief operational officer who had become disillusioned with their role due to constant pressure and routine tasks. We revisited their career accomplishments and the positive impact they had on the organization, including a series of very successful initiatives that led to the digital upgrade and transformation of several operational functions of the firm, as well as a few successful referral deals with partners that became valued partners, which helped them see their value. I encouraged them to take on a new project that aligned with their original interests and passions, such as launching a new service campaign. This project reignited their enthusiasm and provided a sense of fulfillment beyond their daily tasks.

Burnout can be a turning point for significant personal transformation. How do you guide leaders to leverage this challenging experience to catalyze positive change not only in their work practices, but also in their own personal development journey? Encouraging deep reflection and conscious action can not only revitalize leaders but also transform team dynamics and organizational cultures.

I will use this topic here to express my opinion, but for me, there is nothing that happens to us that we don't have permission to do. As an Executive Coach, I bring the need for accountability very clearly to my coachees. Burnout is a serious thing and yes, employees and leaders have been the target of this problem related to people's emotional health. But come on, it's important to understand first of all how this leader understands his role. Many leaders believe that when playing this role they need to know everything and do everything, so they fill their backpacks with the needs of others and leave their life in the background. Imposing limits, and sharing your values, are mandatory items for the leader to function.

To deepen this approach, consider integrating goal-setting exercises to align daily tasks with long-term aspirations. Additional Ideas: Facilitate reflection on past successes and their significance. Promote involvement in innovative or high-impact projects. Encourage mentoring or coaching to reinvigorate their sense of purpose. Reconnecting with personal achievements and future goals can significantly boost motivation and renew a leader's passion for their role.

Balance, balance, balance work, home, relationships and go to the Maldives and snorkel. Take time to find the beauty our world offers us. Be more involved with your staff, delegate and enjoy what comes your way. Overcome your hurdles. Tick them off your priority list. Smile, make others smile. Enjoy humble people. Be kind to others and yourself. Wheeu, relax. Hope you get to enjoy living again.