Leadership is demanding, and even the most resilient leaders can experience burnout. If you are currently facing exhaustion, identifying the underlying causes is the first step toward recovery. By examining common stressors and implementing proactive self-care strategies, you can mitigate the long-term consequences of professional fatigue. This article explores how leadership stress affects your brain and provides actionable solutions for restoration.
4 CAUSES OF LEADERSHIP BURNOUT:
1. Allostatic Load.
Chronic stress leads to significant physiological wear and tear, often referred to as allostatic load. When the body remains in a state of high alert for extended periods, sustained levels of cortisol and other hormones can lead to heart problems, weight gain, and impaired immunity. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to these chemicals can result in brain cell atrophy and diminished cognitive functioning. These physiological changes directly explain how stress impacts leadership decision-making.
2. Power Stress.
In their book Resonant Leadership, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee identify a specific phenomenon known as power stress. This unique pressure results from the constant exercise of influence and the heavy sense of responsibility inherent in leadership roles. When these demands become overwhelming, leaders may fall into the “Sacrifice Syndrome,” a vicious cycle of unhealthy self-sacrifice that inevitably leads to burnout. Understanding this cycle is essential for managing stress for leaders effectively.
3. Continuous Partial Attention.
Linda Stone, author and consultant, developed this phrase to describe the mental trap we easily fall into when we constantly scan our surroundings to look for the best opportunities to spend our time on. It happens when we “skim,” and pay attention, only partially. When this happens to a leader, he will fail to focus on the most important tasks at hand and get farther behind on mission critical issues. Then, he must rush to get the important things done which contributes to chronic stress.
4. Multitasking.
“Many leaders have convinced themselves that multitasking leads to greater productivity. However, researchers have shown that when we try to process two mental tasks at once, our mental capacity can drop from that of a Harvard MBA to that of an eight-year-old. And it can reduce our mental capacities as if we missed a night’s sleep or smoked pot (Rock, 2009, pp. 34–36). Multitasking can also diminish long-term memory (Foerde et al., 2006). Even college students who multitasked with their laptops while in a class scored lower on tests than did students who didn’t multitask. And students who could see others multitasking also scored lower. So multitasking decreases others’ productivity as well as our own (Sana et al., 2013)” (from People Pleasing Pastors: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Approval Motivated Leadership by Charles Stone).
In fact, research shows that multitasking can add up to a 40% loss of productivity in a day. This decrease in productivity is called task switch cost.
So, what can we do to combat these factors that lead to burnout? Consider these steps.
4 CURES OF LEADERSHIP BURNOUT:
1. Exercise.
For years research has shown that exercise benefits our body. But recent research has discovered that it benefits our brains as well. When we exercise, it causes our brains to release a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which has been called the Miracle-Gro for the brain. It encourages new neuronal growth and protects brain cells from stress. The better we take care of our brains, the better leaders we will be.
2. Statio.
Statio describes a Christian monastic practice that we might call a mini-transition between events of the day. It’s a moment between moments when we pause from once task before going to the next. It allows us to break our hurry, obtain closure from the prior task, and prepare our hearts and minds for what comes next. Leaders who practice this can turn down their body’s fight-flight system (the sympathetic nervous system) and engage the rest and digest system (the parasympathetic system) which makes us calmer. Read this post by Daniel Schroeder to learn more about statio.
3. Sleep.
“When we don’t get enough sleep, we rob our brains of important neural functions because the brain is actually very active during sleep. Although the brain never really shuts down, it’s only truly at rest during non-REM sleep, which accounts for only 20 percent of our normal sleep cycle. During the other 80 percent, sleep helps the brain encode, strengthen, stabilize, and consolidate our memories from the day. Our brain replays what we have learned during the day (Medina, 2009, p. 164) to make our memories stick. Sleep also plays an important role in learning.” (from Brain-Savvy Leaders: The Science of Significant Ministry by Charles Stone (Kindle Locations 1671-1675))
4. Get off the Grid.
In our 24/7 connected world, our smart phones can actually keep us on high alert and in stress mode. I find that if I choose a 24-hour period (my Sabbath) when I don’t check email, I’m much more at peace. Getting off the grid helps disengage my mind and slow my internal pace. I’d also encourage you to turn off the automatic notifications function on your smart phone and on your computer.
What has helped you avoid burnout as a leader?
Read more from Charles Stone »
This article originally appeared on CharlesStone.com and is reposted here by permission.
