Issue 5 - Leading a Team Should Not Cost You Your Energy
Leadership Without Burnout. Is It Possible
Who is this for? Leaders who carry the load. You hold the risks, steady the people, and keep the lights on. If the job is draining your energy, this one is for you.
The part of leadership no one names
Leadership is not only about decisions and delivery. It is emotional labour. You hold worry for the team, for the client, for the people at home. You absorb tension so others can do their work. Over time, the weight moves from your calendar into your nervous system. That is why high performers feel tired even when the diary looks normal.
Pause and check in. Am I holding information and emotion that others could safely carry? Do I confuse being useful with being necessary? Is my identity tied to being the person who fixes everything?
If you answered yes to any of these, you are paying an energy tax for leadership. It is common. It is solvable.
My lesson in the deep end
In my last corporate role, I led across the Asia Pacific region, with strong connections into the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East. Time zones meant late nights and early mornings. There were incidents, major disruptions and real moments where the clock was against us and the stakes were high. We solved logistics problems that did not have easy answers. It was never just about the work. It was always about the people. We backed each other, improvised under pressure and often made it through on sheer will.
Then COVID arrived. Lockdowns, remote work and isolation stretched every part of leadership. People needed reassurance, practical help and a steady line. I was doing that while facing my own personal challenges. We adapted, we supported each other, and we came through stronger. The lesson that stayed with me is simple. The job does not get easier. You must get clearer and more disciplined about where your energy goes.
Where leadership energy leaks
The identity trap You equate value with being the reliable one. You say yes when you should say not now.
Invisible delegation You hand off tasks but you keep ownership of the outcome in your head. Your brain never rests.
Boundary drift Hours, and access creep because expectations were never reset as the role evolved.
Unprocessed pressure You absorb other people’s emotions without a place to discharge it. That charge leaks into your evenings and weekends.
Decision fatigue You decide small things that others can resolve. The volume erodes your attention for the big calls.
Circle the two that hit hardest. Start there this week.
The one per cent standard that shaped my coaching
For years, I operated at what I call the one per cent standard. Not louder. Sharper. Small edges that compound under pressure. This is how I stayed effective across borders and why it is now the spine of my coaching.
Calm command. One cadence in crisis. Clear briefs and tight loops.
Clarity first. Who does what by when and why it matters. No vague handoffs.
Debrief as a habit. Ten minutes after key moments to capture learning. No blame. Only data.
Energy budget. A daily and weekly plan that protects deep work, recovery and non-negotiables.
Humility and candour. Ask for help early. Name reality. Do not dress it up.
Many coaches speak about burnout, stagnation and momentum. I have lived this pressure at scale and across cultures. The one per cent standard is the difference. It is how I coach leaders to build careers that do not hollow them out.
Try this now. The Leadership Load Ledger
Use this for one week. It will show you what to keep, what to share and what to stop.
Step 1. Capture Write every recurring responsibility and every decision you made this week. Include people issues, approvals and unplanned fires.
Step 2. Classify: Put each item into one of three buckets. Hold. You must own it. It is strategic, high-risk risk or identity-defining. Hand off. Someone else can own the outcome with a clear standard and a check-in. Halt. Low value. Stop or delay. If it matters, it will resurface.
Step 3. Delegate cleanly For each hand-off item, use this micro-brief. Outcome required. Context and constraints. What good looks like. Decision rights. First checkpoint.
Step 4. Protect your energy windows Block two daily sixty-minute windows for high value work. Guard them like meetings with your board.
Delegation without guilt
Most leaders do not resist delegation. They resist the feeling of losing control. Here is the reframe. You are not giving away tasks. You are growing in capacity. You are not stepping back. You are stepping up to the work only you can do. You are not letting people fend for themselves. You are giving them clarity and trust.
A quick story. During a cross-border incident, I briefed a mid-level leader to run point while I handled regulators. We agreed on the outcome, the decision rights and the first checkpoint. I kept my phone on the desk and did not hover over the team. The incident closed faster than usual, and that leader earned new confidence. Clean delegation did not reduce my leadership. It multiplied it.
Try this Pick one item from your ledger and brief it using the five points above. Put the checkpoint in the calendar today.
What I would tell my earlier self
Do not carry what the system should carry. Put the process where emotion currently lives.
Decide on your visible hours and stick to them. Reliability is consistency, not constant availability.
You can be caring and still say no. Boundaries are an act of care.
The win is not doing it all. The win is building a team that can win without you in the room.
Reflection Which line do you need to hear today? Write one sentence about how you will act on it this week.
If you want a sounding board
Sometimes you need a clear outside view to name the pattern you cannot see from inside the week. I offer a 30-minute Career Clarity Audit Call. It is a diagnostic conversation, not a coaching session. We map one energy drain in your leadership, identify one leverage point and check whether a deeper coaching programme is a fit. You leave with perspective and next step options. The full solution sits inside a coaching partnership.
Final word - Leadership should stretch you, not break you. Protect your energy like it's company property. Your team does not need you to be heroic. They need you to be clear, calm and consistent.
