Why Urgency Isn’t Leadership: The Burnout Trap

If you’ve ever worked in a high-performing team, you probably know the myth: urgency equals leadership. It’s a tempting one. Teams that sprint from challenge to challenge can look productive—even heroic. But let’s be honest—this constant drive, left unchecked, quietly transforms from a motivator into a trap. Over time, urgency doesn’t fuel excellence. It drains resilience, chips away at trust, and stifles creativity—sometimes so gradually you don’t realize it’s happening until the spark is gone.

Here’s a question I wish more leaders asked themselves: Is this relentless pace really serving your people and your outcomes? Or are you building a culture where burnout is just the cost of doing business?

Sustainable leadership isn’t about lowering the bar or shying away from hard work. It’s about playing the long game—making sure your team can deliver, again and again, without sacrificing their well-being in the process. When urgency becomes the rule instead of the exception, you’re not galvanizing your team—you’re wearing them down.

The data backs this up. According to meQuilibrium, 36% of managers are more likely to report feeling burned out, and 24% are more likely to consider quitting. If you’re a manager, you know the squeeze—step back and your team might stumble; push harder and your own well-being takes the hit. This expectation to be “always on” only intensifies the fatigue, especially for managers caught between executive demands and employee needs. Forbes highlights the hidden costs of leadership fatigue.

Here’s the bottom line: Shifting away from urgency-driven management isn’t optional if you want lasting results. The highest-performing teams aren’t just busy—they’re built for endurance over months and years, not just in short sprints. That’s the legacy worth aiming for.

Spotting Silent Struggles: The Caring High Performer

Burnout rarely storms in with sirens blaring. More often, it hides behind a smile—especially in your caring, driven teammates.

It’s easy to focus on obvious warning signs like missed deadlines or fading engagement. But here’s what gets overlooked: your highest-risk people are often those striving hardest not to let anyone down—including themselves.

So what should you really watch for? High performers who quietly absorb extra work, pick up overtime without prompting, or say yes before you even finish asking. These patterns often signal trouble with boundaries—long before burnout makes itself visible.

In my experience, these teammates rarely ask for help or space. They keep setting the pace, even as stress quietly builds beneath the surface. If left unchecked, this drive leads straight to exhaustion—and sometimes disengagement that catches everyone off guard. The lesson? Caring too much is risky if there’s no room for recovery.

A Deloitte survey found more than three-quarters of employees have experienced burnout at their current job. It’s even sharper among younger or high-performing workers: a 2023 American Psychological Association report found that 58% of employees aged 18 to 34 say their stress feels “completely overwhelming” most days. Forbes explores the hidden signs of burnout in high-performing employees.

As leaders, we have to proactively build balance—especially for those who won’t ask for it themselves. If you want to get better at identifying subtle warning signs early, consider taking a 360 self-check for burnout signs to catch trouble before it escalates.

Lead for Sustainability: Five Core Practices

How do you lead for sustainability in a world obsessed with speed? It’s not about slowing everything down—it’s about creating work rhythms that enable high performance without burning people out.

Here are five practices I’ve seen transform teams:

1. Name the Season

   Every team faces crunch times—a product launch, an urgent deadline, an unexpected crisis. The difference comes when you name these seasons out loud. When people know a push is temporary—and what follows—they’re far more resilient and less likely to burn out.

   Say it directly: “This month will be demanding, but then we’ll regroup.” Transparency builds trust and helps everyone pace themselves.

2. Build in Breathing Room

   Let me slow down here: Recovery isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for sustaining performance.

   After major pushes or during slower cycles, lighten workloads or encourage real rest. This might mean mandatory PTO, team-wide no-meeting days, or easing up on nonessential work after big milestones. Don’t just permit rest—expect it.

   The research is clear: burnout isn’t just about long hours—it comes from a mismatch between demands and resources (Demerouti et al., 2001). Adjusting the work environment works better than telling individuals to “be more resilient.” You can explore research-backed burnout interventions at Insight Experience. If you’re searching for actionable steps to recover from burnout—or help your team reset—explore the Burnout Recovery Playbook for practical strategies you can use right away.

3. Protect Focus

   Here’s something I’ve wrestled with too: when everything feels urgent, focus unravels fast. Effective leaders shield their teams from distraction by clarifying one mission-critical goal at a time—not juggling ten priorities at once.

   Cut the noise so your team can do deep work without guilt or confusion. You’ll be amazed at how much more gets done when everyone knows where their energy belongs. If reclaiming attention is a struggle in your organization, these steps for defending deep work time as a leader can help you protect what matters most.

4. Model Sustainable Habits

   You set the weather for your organization. If you answer emails at midnight or never unplug, your team will follow—even if you tell them not to.

   Model healthy boundaries: take real breaks, use your own PTO, and talk openly about how you recharge after big pushes. People notice actions more than words. Sustainable leadership starts with self-leadership.

5. Check in Early—and Deeply

   A weekly “How are you?” rarely surfaces real struggles. Create regular moments for honest conversations about workload and well-being.

   Ask open-ended questions and listen carefully—don’t wait until small issues become full-blown crises. Early intervention beats heroic rescue missions every time.

From Intention to Action: Real-World Success Stories

It’s one thing to talk about sustainability—but what does it look like in practice?

These aren’t isolated wins; they’re proof that leading for sustainability brings real payoffs—in engagement, productivity, and retention.

Organizations that embrace these habits also see boosts in innovation and psychological safety. When well-being is prioritized, people feel safe flagging risks or proposing new ideas—and that’s when teams really thrive. If you’re interested in how leaders can shift from being busy to truly impactful, discover the transition from busy to impactful leadership and accelerate results through smarter focus.

Measuring Success: The ROI of Sustainable Leadership

If you want lasting buy-in for sustainable practices, track what matters most—not just output but the health of your team over time.

Don’t rely solely on numbers like project delivery rates or quarterly revenue. Add qualitative feedback—anonymous pulse surveys or structured stay interviews—to surface subtle dynamics that standard KPIs might miss.

• Turnover rates (especially among top performers)
• Employee engagement scores
• Absenteeism due to stress-related illness
• Self-reported well-being from regular surveys
• PTO utilization and workload balance metrics as early warning signs

SHRM’s Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series found that 44% of U.S. employees feel burned out at work, 45% feel “emotionally drained,” and 51% feel “used up” by day’s end—compelling reasons for leaders to prioritize sustainable practices (SHRM research).

It’s normal to worry that giving more space or flexibility will hurt productivity or cause missed targets. But in reality, organizations that invest in sustainability see higher engagement, stronger retention, and more consistent results—even if it means sometimes saying “not now” to every shiny new opportunity.

The real challenge isn’t starting these practices—it’s sticking with them through every business cycle. Revisit your metrics regularly; celebrate progress; and keep adjusting based on what actually works for your unique context.

Embedding Sustainability in Your Leadership Journey

Sustainable leadership isn’t a one-off initiative—it’s an ongoing commitment woven into daily habits and decision-making.

Take an honest look: Where might you be unintentionally fueling urgency at the expense of well-being? Which of these practices could you adopt—or double down on—right now?

Remember: culture is built in the small moments. Try the ‘Micro-Habits’ approach—model brief behaviors like pausing before reacting to urgent requests or acknowledging someone who takes time off—to reinforce new norms over time.

And don’t forget this: Your best people may never ask for space—that’s why it’s your job as a leader to create it for them.

Leading for sustainability doesn’t mean lowering expectations—it means building a culture where high performance and well-being go hand in hand.

Start with one change—maybe naming this season openly, building in breathing room after big pushes, or modeling better boundaries yourself—and watch how your team responds. Over time, these small shifts add up to a healthier organization where people don’t just survive—they thrive together.

Sustainable leadership isn’t just about preventing burnout—it’s about building teams that endure, adapt, and grow together over the long run. For inspiration on how sustainability drives careers beyond productivity alone, explore why sustainability matters most for thriving careers—and see how prioritizing well-being can fuel both performance and long-term growth.