The signs of executive burnout – and how to avoid it

Leadership burnout is on the rise. Ignoring it threatens people's health and the health of business. But there are few quick fixes.

“People think you can recover from burnout quite quickly – take a long weekend or go on holiday for a week – but that shit isn't true,” says executive coach Lynn Blades.

Blades knows the risks and realities of burnout all too well. Five years ago, she was busy growing her business and running her home, but her physical health was deteriorating and she was “on circuit overload emotionally”. 

She ignored the signs. Then, one day, she went out for a walk and her legs started to hurt. The pain quickly escalated, and she ended up in hospital having emergency back surgery. “Basically, two discs in my lower back had disintegrated. I had to have a titanium cage and three three-inch screws put into my back to walk.”