6 strategies for beating CEO burnout

Navigating the many pressures of leadership can push even the most seasoned CEOs to the brink of burnout. Many factors contribute to CEO burnout. CEOs can feel that the company’s success — and its employees’ livelihoods — rests on their shoulders. They face decision-making that requires constant vigilance. Isolation at the top, where CEOs lack peers to confide in, exacerbates mental fatigue.

The struggle to maintain a balance between personal and professional life can result in neglected relationships and well-being. And ongoing economic factors outside their control — heightened inflation, geopolitical tensions, changing workplace dynamics, and emerging technologies — can drain business leaders.

When CEO burnout sets in, common patterns emerge: reacting instead of thinking, losing sight of strategy, and failing to delegate tasks effectively. Leaders become unpredictable, hypervigilant, unclear in their directions, or even disengaged. While stress may arise periodically, CEO burnout manifests as unfocused, undisciplined work, and a lack of joy.

To effectively combat CEO burnout, great leaders implement the following six prevention strategies:

1. Maintain good habits

Effective leaders avoid over-scheduling. Refraining from back-to-back meetings and prioritizing planning time allows leaders to allocate each decision the attention it deserves. Being disciplined around regular exercise and adequate sleep are foundational to maintaining well-being. CEOs who establish boundaries to maintain good habits sustain peak performance for themselves and their companies.

2. Seek peer support

Engaging with peer advisory groups or mentors provides CEOs with a confidential space to discuss challenges and receive support from those who share similar leadership struggles. Peer advisory groups offer objective perspectives from leaders who don’t have a vested interest in the business outcome.

Fellow CEOs can also hold peers accountable for effective decision-making in a way that most others cannot. Hearing from CEOs who have been through the same challenges helps peers to gain insights. Peer advisory groups also allow leaders to be a resource to others, offering wisdom from their experience.

3. Allocate time for strategic thinking

The world’s best leaders also carve out time to work on the business. Regularly scheduling uninterrupted time for strategic planning and reflection allows CEOs to step back from day-to-day operations, assess priorities, and set clear, achievable goals.

By dedicating time to strategic initiatives and long-term planning, leaders can focus on the organization’s growth and sustainability instead of just confronting immediate operational demands.

4. Opt for direct communication

Many CEOs are reluctant to enroll their team in facing the brutal facts. When CEOs recognize they are burnt out, it’s time to immediately delegate the major challenges the company is facing to the executive team. This helps to elevate the team’s thinking to a more strategic level around the mission and the vision. CEOs who start to feel like they have to know all the answers discover that it’s helpful to start asking their team more questions, allowing everyone to uncover the truth and find the solution together.

Direct communication also means replacing excessive email exchanges with face-to-face conversations, whether in person or virtual. Clear communication reduces ambiguity, fosters collaboration and strengthens relationships. The most successful CEOs prioritize open dialogue to build trust and alignment across teams, enhancing productivity and morale.

5. Address significant decisions promptly

Often, CEO burnout results from long-standing unaddressed issues. Failure to make a critical decision that has been lingering — frequently involving personnel — can amplify stress and hinder progress. Tackling these decisions head-on promotes clarity, efficiency, and a healthier work environment.

6. Focus on others

Amid intense stress, CEOs can fall into martyr mode and feel like they are a victim of their circumstances. Great CEOs focus on what they can control and take action. Another surefire antidote to that intense focus on oneself is to embrace gratitude and find ways to help others. Individuals really start to discover who they are when they aid those who are struggling.

Fostering meaningful connections and giving back — whether that’s volunteering, involvement in a religious community or simply spending time with family and friends — can immediately transform a leader’s mindset. Maintaining meaningful connections with peers, family and the community allows best-in-class CEOs to nurture a balanced perspective.

By incorporating these strategies into consistent routines and adopting a proactive approach, effective leaders can manage the stress of leadership with resilience and ward off CEO burnout. Maintaining healthy habits, fostering meaningful connections with peers, and staying focused on the mission, vision and strategy not only safeguard against burnout, they also cultivate a positive company culture. As leaders focus on grounded decision-making, they set a precedent for a thriving workplace.

This story first appeared in Entrepreneur.

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