Editorial
The burnout conversation is stuck. With an estimated annual economic impact of $2T, the burnout crisis demands resolution. But we continue to treat burnout as a workload problem. And in an era of “do more with less,” where doing less often isn’t an option, that makes it feel unsolvable.
Managers Are Hit Hard With Burnout
Burnout is more than a volume problem.
Managers feel it more than most, and the trend isn’t reversing. Gallup findings show that leaders and managers are 56% more likely to face extensive disruptive change. They’re navigating economic uncertainty, reorganizations and budget cuts, all while ensuring their teams continue to deliver.
In many cases, they’re not just managing their own stress, but absorbing the strain their teams are under as well. It’s a double burden.
Volume does matter, but it’s far from the whole story. Burnout is also shaped by how we work, what we’re navigating, and the outdated definitions of leadership many managers have internalized. That opens the door to new kinds of solutions. We may not be able to control budgets or staffing, but we can rethink how we define the role of a manager.
And here’s where organizations miss a key opportunity: Not all burnout is imposed from the outside. Some of it is created internally, through the beliefs managers hold about what their job demands. These invisible and rarely questioned expectations are a real and remediable source of strain.
The Manager Role Needs a Redesign
Many managers believe burnout is inevitable. But often, what makes the role unsustainable isn’t the work itself. It’s the story they’ve been handed about what “good leadership” looks like.
They believe they need to protect happiness, offer certainty, have all the answers and deliver perfect plans before looping in the team. These assumptions sound responsible, even admirable. But in practice, they isolate managers and make the job unmanageable.
The question to ask isn’t, “What more can I do?” It’s, “What am I carrying that I don’t need to?”
Four Beliefs Managers Can Release
1. It’s a manager’s job to keep the team happy
Happiness is a welcome outcome, but it’s not a leadership responsibility. Managers often conflate happiness with engagement. But engagement isn’t about mood — it’s about clarity, purpose and the belief that the work matters.
When managers chase happiness, they avoid hard conversations, soften messages or take emotional responsibility for things outside their control. That instinct to protect can delay decisions, blur communication and drain a manager’s capacity without delivering clarity to the team.
2. It’s a manager’s job to build the plan
When change is on the horizon, managers feel they need to have everything figured out before engaging the team. They assume that preparedness signals strength.
But planning in isolation misses valuable input. Teams are closer to the friction points, whether that’s customer frustration, broken tools or clunky processes. Involving them early builds stronger plans and stronger commitment.
The manager’s role isn’t to solve and deliver. It’s to frame the direction and shape the solution together.
3. It’s a manager’s job to have the answers
Managers are rewarded for decisiveness, which can morph into pressure to always be right. But in complexity, pretending to know too early leads to premature decisions and missed opportunities.
Strong leaders validate questions, help teams explore unknowns, and build a shared path to clarity. Sometimes that means saying, “Let’s find out,” or “Why don’t you dig into that and come back with a recommendation?” Capability is built through participation, not dependency.
4. It’s a manager’s job to provide certainty
People crave predictability. But that doesn’t make it a manager’s job to offer guarantees. What teams really need is clarity.
That means being open about what’s known, what’s in motion and how decisions will be made. When managers communicate transparently instead of promising prematurely, teams stay better aligned even as circumstances shift.
What Managers Can Do Instead
Letting go of outdated expectations doesn’t just reduce burnout for managers. It opens up space to lead differently, by focusing on what actually improves the team experience.
Burnout doesn’t only come from doing too much. It also comes from doing too much of the wrong things and too little of what sustains people. Even when workload stays constant, managers can shift how that work feels.
Foster real connection
Isolation is a burnout accelerant. Managers can build in consistent, lightweight ways for people to connect beyond projects. That might mean shifting meetings to include more dialogue, less reporting and moments for peer recognition or shared reflection.
Make purpose visible
When people lose sight of how their work matters, even light tasks feel heavy. Managers can help make the connection between tasks and impact, effort and outcomes. Purpose doesn’t need to be grand. It needs to be specific and visible.
Trim friction
Not all stress comes from doing too much. Some of it comes from navigating inanity — countless meetings without objectives, dated or broken processes and so much more. Managers can ask where process is wasting time and remove what no longer serves the team’s goals. Small cuts in unnecessary complexity make a real difference.
Minimize unnecessary change
Change fatigue adds up. Managers may not control what changes, but they can control how it’s sequenced and explained. When people understand what’s changing and why, they handle the uncertainty more effectively.
Redefining the Work That Matters
Burnout isn’t just a product of external pressure. It’s also a function of role design. When managers are measured by how much they absorb or how perfectly they perform, burnout becomes inevitable.
But leadership can look different. It can be defined by what managers enable, not what they personally carry. Shifting toward clarity, connection and shared ownership is what makes the work sustainable. And what helps the people doing it to thrive.
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Editor's Note: Read more thoughts on how to mitigate burnout:
- Burnout Is the New Normal — A certain level of burnout has long existed in the workforce. But multiple studies suggest we've hit an all time high.
- Why Organizations Still Struggle With Burnout – And How to Tackle It — Burnout shows no sign of fading in the workplace. Here's what it takes to create real, lasting change.
- We Normalized Burnout Culture. Here's How to Break the Cycle — Expecting workers to self-care their way out of burnout is like asking customers to develop their own solutions. Here's how to tackle it at the enterprise level.
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