Burnout is an Infection
And it's spreading again—right when we need each other’s brilliance the most.
I just read Kari Bull’s sharp and hopeful piece in the Seattle Times about how ranked choice voting builds the muscles for collaborative leadership. It’s a great read, and I recommend it.
And it got me thinking:
One of the biggest threats to collaboration I’ve seen in nearly 30 years of working with leaders is burnout.
For decades, I’ve heard some version of this:
"When things calm down, we’ll treat our people better. We’ll build long-term strategy. We’ll get out of reaction mode."
But the truth is, the world rarely calms down. And in the meantime, burnout chips away at our clarity, creativity, and ability to lead together.
So what if we treated burnout not as a personal failure or a fact of life—but as an infection?
A virus made of false urgency and chronic overreaction. One that separates us from our best selves, and each other.
We can build our collective immune system. Here's how:
1. Connect with your body.
Burnout thrives when we lead from the neck up. But your body is a source of wisdom, regulation, and resilience. Ground yourself at the start of meetings. Take a breath before reacting. As a leader, model it—it will feel weird at first, but meaningful change often does.
2. Create “Do Not Disturb” hours.
A UC Irvine study found people are interrupted every 11 minutes—and it takes 23 to refocus. Just two DND hours a week can transform your leadership. No meetings, no Slack, no email. Protect your focus. Offer it to your team. You’ll be amazed what opens up.
3. Notice who isn’t talking.
The #1 sign of a creative, high-functioning team? Everyone speaks roughly the same amount. Innovation thrives in trust. Track who’s quiet. Make space for all voices. That’s where the magic is.
Small shifts. Massive ripple effects.
And if you’re ready to go deeper:
I’m opening registration for a 9-week cohort to help progressive leaders (like you) combat burnout together.
It’s trauma-informed, myth-infused, and rooted in practices that work.
Dozens of teams and leaders have gone through it.
Because when the world is on fire, your joy and genius matter more than ever.
💫 Curious? Learn more here.
Let’s build the leadership we need—starting with ourselves.