From Burnout to Brilliance- The 5 Strategies Limitless Leaders Must Embrace

Let’s face it, todays workplace is moving fast. There are the daily high pressures of our roles, less people having to do more, management of remote teams, AI rearing its head everywhere we look and the need to upskill in it, along with your ongoing mission of leading and developing future leaders. Burnout is no longer a rare occurrence, it’s a growing crisis that threatens individual health, team performance, and overall workplace success. Increased workloads, emotional strain, and the blurring of work-life boundaries have created a perfect storm. Leaders and teams alike are grappling with the consequences, often without the right tools or strategies to turn the tide.

Working with many leadership teams, I am seeing the overwhelm and burnout first had. As I always say we need to put our people before process and progress, not the other way around. 

Some of the statistics are alarming: 

75% of Australian Workers Report Experiencing Burnout 

A survey conducted by Bupa in 2024 revealed that 75% of employed Australians are experiencing burnout. This is particularly prevalent among younger generations, with four out of five Australians under 40 affected. The primary contributors to this widespread burnout include heavy workloads, poor work-life balance, and limited resources

82% of the Global Workforce at Risk of Burnout 

A 2024 report surveying over 12,000 participants found that 82% of the global workforce is at risk of burnout. This alarming statistic underscores the pervasive nature of burnout across various industries and regions, emphasising the need for proactive measures to address employee well-being

These figures underscore the urgent need to rethink how we approach burnout. I believe this is not just as an individual issue but one that demands deliberate cultural and operational shifts.

Understanding Burnout 

Burnout can be defined in so many ways. I believe it’s more than occasional tiredness. It is a deep state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that’s caused by prolonged and excessive stress. When we’re not our true selves energetically, this drains our motivation, reduces our productivity, and can erode a sense of accomplishment. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Burnout can lead to serious health problems and can push top talent out the door.

At a leadership level, burnout can be particularly damaging. As we know, leaders set the scene and shape team culture. When we are exhausted and disengaged, the ripple effects across the organisation can be huge.

How Organisations and Leaders Can Respond 

Preventing and addressing burnout requires a multi-layered approach, with leaders playing a crucial role.

Ask yourself; “Who’s looking after the leader?”

Here are five key strategies workplaces and leaders can implement to tackle burnout and support wellbeing:

Normalise Mental Health Conversations

I’m noticing there’s still a lot of stigma around mental health and this often prevents people from seeking support. Leaders and workplaces need to take a step back and create environments where it’s safe to talk about stress, anxiety, and burnout without fear of judgment.

This means checking in regularly, not just on tasks, but on people. It could be as simple as a genuine, “How are you doing, really?” in one-on-one meetings and coaching sessions. Educating leaders to see the signs of mental distress and offering clear pathways to professional help can further embed a culture of openness and support.

Practice Sustainable Habits 

Leaders set the tone and therefore need to model the habits they expect of others. It’s not enough to encourage self-care verbally; leaders must visibly manage their own energy and boundaries. Examples of this could include scheduling and protecting regular breaks, openly blocking time for deep work, having “meeting” free days, stopping for lunch or leaving work on time. Whatever habits are in place, others are noticing them, and this can help encourage teams to do the same.

When leaders demonstrate balance, they give permission for others to prioritise their own health. I believe that sustainability must be seen, not just spoken about.

Design for Wellbeing 

Wellbeing should not be left to chance, what great looks like it must be intentionally designed into the way teams operate. Creating WOW’s (ways of working) leaders can build recovery time, workload balance, and support systems into their norms.

An example of this I’ve recently been involved in with one of our clients is that they set no-meeting afternoons, cap work hours and have started to build in mandatory “recovery” days after major projects. Wellbeing needs to be a structural priority, not an optional extra. Sustainable high performance and wellbeing is a long-term goal and therefore needs to stick to create any change.

Ad-hoc cupcakes and yoga sessions are obtainable but  do not create sustainable cultures of wellbeing 

Adopt a Gift Mindset 

One powerful approach to combating burnout is  Adopting a Gift Mindset. This concept centres on viewing challenges, mistakes, and successes alike as gifts that offer opportunities for learning, growth, and connection.

Instead of viewing setbacks or heavy workloads as purely negative, leaders can guide their teams to reflect:

• What is the gift in this challenge?
• What can we learn from this experience?
• How might this difficulty shape our resilience or innovation moving forward?

Adopting a Gift Mindset in your workplace fosters psychological safety, optimism, and adaptability, all essential ingredients for reducing burnout and enhancing overall wellbeing. Create forum where people can share wins and challenges and how they progressed through them. A great way to deepen emotional skills and share best practice.

Invest in Skills for Energy Management 

We all know that energy, not just time, is our most precious resource. Organisations that teach and support skills for managing energy such as mindfulness, gratitude, emotional regulation, reflection time and task prioritisation can empower employees to sustain performance without burning out.

Workshops, coaching programs, or regular team practices that focus on energy renewal (such as breathing techniques, gratitude exercises at start of meetings, or time-blocking strategies) can make a big difference. Small daily habits, when reinforced by leadership, build a more energised and resilient workforce.

So where do we start? 

Addressing burnout isn’t a one-off initiative; it’s an ongoing commitment to cultural change. It demands that leaders lead differently with authenticity, vulnerability, and a deep respect for the whole human experience of their teams. The human touch and emotional skills (EQ) have never been more important as they are now.

Organisations that invest in wellbeing don’t just mitigate risks, they unlock higher engagement, stronger loyalty, and greater motivation.

By modelling sustainable habits, normalising mental health conversations, designing for wellbeing, adopting a Gift Mindset, and investing in energy management skills, leaders and organisations can create environments where people don’t just survive, they thrive.

Written by Renée Giarrusso.
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