🧭 5 Leadership Shifts for a Burnt-Out Team

They don’t need another “mental health reminder” on Slack.

They need you to change how the work is shaped.

Because burnout isn’t fixed by breathing exercises. It’s fixed by how you lead under pressure.

And right now? Everyone’s under pressure.

Here’s what to actually do about it:

1. Ditch the default “ASAP”

High performers already self-impose pressure.

You layering on “need this by EOD” without a real reason? That’s just cortisol cosplay.

Instead, ask:

• “What’s a reasonable turnaround that keeps quality intact?”

• “Where are we creating false pressure out of habit?”

You don’t lose momentum by calming down. You create clarity.

2. Build the buffer in — on purpose

High performers don’t ask for breathing room — they just squeeze harder.

As a leader, your job is to create psychological slack:

• Pad timelines without announcing it

• Schedule actual dead time post-launch

• Ask in check-ins: “Is anything taking more from you than it should?”

Buffers = sustainable pace. Not laziness. Stability.

3. Make it safe to downshift (without needing to crash first)

Too many teams reward breakdowns, not boundaries.

If someone quietly needs to pull back, they should be able to do that without a formal intervention.

Ways to lead this:

• “Hey, you’ve been carrying a lot — want to redistribute anything?”

• “If we paused something this week, what would make the biggest difference?”

• “What does sustainable output look like for you right now?”

Design a culture where adjusting is strength, not failure.

4. Celebrate recovery, not just resilience

If all your praise goes to grinders and 11PM Slack heroes, you’re rewarding burnout — whether you mean to or not.

Flip the script:

• Recognize smart delegation, not just heroic solo acts

• Normalize full off days

• Publicly respect people’s “no” when they hit capacity

Culture is built on what you applaud.

5. Model what you say

You can’t ask people to unplug while you’re burning the midnight oil on Slack.

Your behavior writes the real policy — not the wellness poster in Notion.

Want your team to respect their limits?

Show them you respect yours.

Set the tone. Then hold it.

The Bottom Line:

Burnout isn't about “weak people.”

It’s what happens when smart, capable humans aren’t given leadership structures that protect their energy.

This isn’t about going soft.

It’s about going long.

Best,
Peter Delle

P.S. You Don’t Need Better Hires