71% of Leaders Are Burned Out - How to Prevent the Whole Team from Burning Out with Them
10.11.2025
Figure Baltic Advisory Leadership Development Expert Olga Dzene
Today, more and more people recognize that burnout is a real risk that can affect almost anyone, impacting both mental and physical health. However, conversations about burnout still tend to focus on employees rather than leaders. According to a Deloitte Global Survey, 77% of employees have experienced burnout due to workload and expectations, yet leaders face the same level of risk. The Global Leadership Forecast shows that 71% of leaders worldwide report heightened stress levels - not only due to long working hours and back-to-back meetings, but because of emotional strain, decision fatigue, and structural pressure in organizations. Together, these factors significantly increase the risk of burnout.
High Wellbeing Leads to Better Performance
To recognize burnout risks early and mitigate them, organizations are paying more attention to wellbeing. Wellbeing is not just about a pleasant office atmosphere or access to team events. It means that a person (employee or leader) feels balanced emotionally, psychologically, physically, and professionally, has a sense of security and future growth, and maintains a healthy work-life balance. These factors directly influence work quality and outcomes. Research shows that people with higher wellbeing levels work more efficiently, achieve better results, take fewer sick days, and feel more engaged in achieving organizational goals.
Burnout Symptoms That Cannot Be Ignored
Burnout has clear symptoms. First, emotional exhaustion - persistent fatigue and a lack of inner resources. Second, detachment from work and colleagues, often expressed through cynicism or indifference. Third, a loss of meaning and satisfaction, where effort no longer leads to fulfillment. These are strong indications that workload has exceeded healthy limits and the ability to recover has significantly decreased.
Overwork Is a Problem, Not a Norm
A key factor is emotional energy - the ability to engage with work with interest and purpose. When emotional energy drops, even simple tasks require disproportionate effort. Equally important is the speed of recovery. If recovery takes longer and longer, it signals chronic overload. In Latvia, this is especially relevant, as excessive work and constant overload are still often viewed as normal rather than problematic.
Preventing Burnout Starts with the Leader
For these reasons, many organizations now define concrete goals related to wellbeing. At the team level, this means fostering a safe, trusting, and supportive environment. Leaders are encouraged to learn how to monitor and sustain wellbeing in their teams - through regular one-to-one conversations, helping employees manage boundaries, observing workload, and reminding them to take time off. However, this only works when leaders demonstrate the same behaviors themselves - because leaders also experience burnout.
A Burned-Out Leader Affects the Entire Team
Leaders are often the first to feel burnout. They must manage complex processes, make decisions under uncertainty, carry high responsibility, solve problems, support others, and navigate organizational changes. If a leader is exhausted, it inevitably affects the whole team. Therefore, it is crucial to support leaders’ wellbeing through professional development, coaching, mentoring, or psychological support.
Wellbeing Is Not “Comfort Instead of Performance”
Wellbeing is not emotional comfort at the expense of results. It is the foundation for achieving results - not only today, but also one year, five years, and ten years from now. Organizations that take care of wellbeing at both the employee and leadership levels strengthen their teams’ ability to adapt, solve complex challenges, and maintain motivation in the long term.