Leader Burnout Toolkit

Use the right tool for the situation.

Combine tools when needed.

Revisit regularly as team needs and the situation evolves.

Focus on what leaders can control, influence, and escalate.

Ask intentional questions and round with purpose, not just visibility, but listening and follow-up.

Ask: What’s getting in your way?

Ask: What makes your day harder than it should be?

Ask: What’s one thing we could change that would make the biggest difference?

Ask: What feels most overwhelming right now?

Ask: What do you need more of from leadership?

Review trends such as staff turnover, sick calls, disengagement, overtime, productivity strain, and engagement survey results.

Use structured feedback on a regular cadence and unstructured check-ins throughout the workday.

Identify the top 1–3 priorities for the week or month.

Ask: What creates long-term value?

Ask: What matters most to the team and organization?

Ask: What is actually within our control?

Ask: What specific action moves this goal forward?

Use a cadence: weekly for tactical priorities; monthly for strategic priorities and reassessment.

Align work to those priorities and defer or pause lower-value work.

Ask: What makes this harder than it should be?

Fix small issues quickly when you can.

Encourage pilot testing: try something small first and test before changing everything.

Escalate larger system barriers.

Create visibility for unresolved issues.

Act on feedback where action is possible.

If action is not possible, explain why clearly and respectfully.

Close the loop with staff.

Communicate progress visibly.

Avoid repeated discussion without action.

Adjust schedules, workflows, and assignments.

Personalize support when possible.

Make quick, iterative improvements.

Reassess and refine often.

Reinforce workload expectations.

Protect time off and model effective time off.

Address chronic overwork early.

Before adding something new, ask: What is already on people’s plates?

Ask: Is this more important than existing work? What should be removed or delayed?

Schedule protected time for focus blocks, rounding, planning, and strategic work.

Set team norms such as no-meeting blocks and limited interruptions.

Model the behavior consistently.

Protect leadership presence time so the team sees you and can reach you.

Hold regular 1:1s, at least monthly where feasible.

Recognize contributions both privately and publicly.

Create space for team voice.

Provide clear, timely, and supportive feedback, not just during formal evaluations.

Address concerns early with coaching, clarity, and accountability.

Strengthen peer-to-peer support, not just leader-to-team support.

Use in-person and virtual connection intentionally.

Measure both experience and outcomes.

Review Press Ganey engagement results.

Track employee turnover, absenteeism, sick calls, vacancy rates, productivity stability, and retention of high performers.

Make progress visible to the team and leadership.

Connect people to immediate support resources.

Normalize asking for help early.

Use this as support while also addressing system drivers.

Remember: self-care helps recovery, but system design prevents recurrence.

Share resources proactively.

Normalize use, not just in crisis.

Keep quick-access links available.

Refer early, not only when problems escalate.