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Ambition Without Burnout: The Personal and Professional Challenge

The Leadership Balancing Act

Ambition drives many leaders to strive for greater achievements, and often contributes to their success, however, it can often lead to burnout.


Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. As humans we are designed to have a stress response to change our physical and emotional state to allow us to deal with a threat/challenge we are facing - However, we are not designed to be in a constant state of stress. This is what we call chronic stress, and this is what has an impact on our mental, physical and emotional health.


In this blog, I will share some strategies for maintaining ambition without falling into the burnout trap.


black and white chalk illustration of a stick person climbing the stairs with an arrow at the top
To Achieve Success You Need to Manage Your Energy to Ensure You Can Reach The Top.

The Fine Line Between Ambition and Burnout

It is a fine line.


It is also a very subjective line. What works well for one person is too much for the next.

It can be so easy to just keep your head down and have a 'just keep going' mentality but ultimately unless we learn to pay attention and slow down our body will slow us down for us.

If you are someone who is often heard to be saying 'I thrive under pressure' then you probably have a good level of management of your stress response.

You have learned how to harness the adrenaline rush of pressure and find your peak performance state.

Mentally you are confident about your ability to overcome the challenge in front of you and so it feels like a challenge rather than a threat.

The adrenalin helps you to become hyper-focused. It helps you to get into the zone and it helps you to give the task your full attention.

This is the positive element of the stress response - the one we are designed to have.


We should focus on the persistent stress response that remains present. This is the type of stress that makes us feel like we are constantly in a state of mild panic and overwhelm, even when we are not dealing with a specific challenge.


This is what leads to burnout - This persistent feeling, combined with the emotional responses of overwhelm. Our body is in the stress response state, not returning to the calm, neutral state.


Mental Health UK’s new annual benchmark report for burnout in the UK (published Jan 2024) reveals that one in five working adults needed to take time off work in the past year due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress.


When it comes to what best helps alleviate stress and prevent burnout at work, over half cited having a healthy work-life balance (56%), while four in ten said having a supportive line manager (43%) or supportive colleagues and peers (42%).


Other leading factors included reasonable adjustments at work (38%), professional support for mental health such as Employee Assistance Programmes or coaching (29%) and organisations offering staff training around mental health at work (24%).


This means that those in a leadership role, are not just responsible for looking after themselves, but for their teams as well.


It is crucial for leaders to be aware that each person has a unique tipping point and perspective on what constitutes a healthy balance. They should ensure that their ambition and work methods have a positive rather than a detrimental effect on their teams.


Many leaders and entrepreneurs consider balancing ambition, the desire to succeed, and the drive to continuously improve as crucial factors contributing to their success and accomplishments.


In balance, these are positive behaviours.


When taken to an extreme, these traits can lead to an imbalance, resulting in perfectionism, a lack of empathy, disregard for others, and a fear of failure.


Recognising the Early Warning Signs of Burnout

How do you identify when ambition turns into burnout?


Firstly, it is important to make sure that you are familiar with the common signs of burnout.

  • Constant fatigue,

  • Feeling overwhelmed,

  • Reduced performance,

  • Disengagement.

  • Insomnia,

  • Frequent illness,

  • Headaches.

  • Irritability,

  • Feeling detached,

  • Low motivation.

  • Forgetfulness,

  • Difficulty focusing,

  • Decision fatigue.


This is not an exhaustive list so you must check in with yourselves regularly to assess stress levels and recognise early signs and pay attention to any changes in how you feel mentally, physically and emotionally.


Strategies for Balancing Ambition Without Burnout


  • Prioritise Rest and Recovery:

    • Sleep is probably the best thing we can do to help maintain and improve every aspect of our mental;, physical and emotional health - We also need to ensure that we are scheduling downtime to give ourselves time to slow down, rest and recover.

    • Micro-breaks, holidays, and slow days are important, take a little bit of time in each day as well. 10-20 minutes just to take some time out.

    • Rest improves long-term productivity and creativity. We are more creative when we give our heads some space to allow the creativity to come through - and we are more productive when we are rested.

  • Set Realistic and Achievable Goals:

    • Break large, ambitious goals into smaller, manageable steps. One of the things I do each quarter with my clients is to help them break down their goals into a 12-week plan. Taking the ambitious goal into a series of tasks and activities that they can do each week.

    • Focus on progress rather than perfection, allowing room for adjustments. Not every day will be a 'gold' day, however, 7 days of 'bronze' days, focusing on priority tasks will still bring you results.

  • Delegate and Build a Strong Support System:

    • Delegation is an area a lot of leaders and business owners struggle with, however, it is important to let go and delegate to avoid burnout from overloading. It is not just the mental load of carrying the workload it is the mental strain and pressure of trying to control and influence everything rather than share the tasks and allow people to hold the responsibility of their areas of the business.

    • Mentoring, coaching, and peer networks can help you share the mental and emotional load. Talking things through, and getting advice and support can all help relieve pressure and the weight of responsibility. - As the saying goes, a problem shared is often a problem halved. In many cases, a problem shared is now a problem with some options for solutions and a plan of action.

  • Establish Healthy Boundaries:

    • Say "no" to commitments that don’t align with your goals.

    • Be clear on the difference between being busy and being productive.

    • Having clear work hours and sticking to them, is important even for leaders. - Especially for leaders. Your teams are looking at what you do, not what you say. Lead by example. You are influencing the culture of your team and workplace so be aware of how your behaviours and actions are influencing this.

  • Practice Mindfulness and Self-awareness:

    • There will be many techniques you can choose from to help practice mindfulness or take time out, like meditation, journaling, or mindfulness exercises to reduce stress. This isn't for everyone so find what works for you. It may be the gym or exercise, getting lost in a good film at the cinema or catching up with friends over a meal. Mindfulness is being present and being in the moment - what activities help you do this?

    • Reflect regularly on your emotional and physical health. What changes are you noticing? What is having a positive impact? What is having a negative impact? What needs to be in your routine to help you look after yourself?


The Benefits of a Balanced Leadership Approach

  • Maintaining balance leads to more sustainable long-term success. The more consistent you are in your approach, the more your team know what to expect and how they are expected to show up. If you are inconsistent and 'blow hot and cold' in your approach then it is unsettling for your team and sends mixed messages.

  • A leader who is able to look after themselves has a positive impact on team dynamics—Leaders who avoid burnout model healthier work habits for their employees. People look at what we do, not what we say so as a leader it is vital that we are modelling the habits and behaviours we want to see. If you want a productive and balanced team that is energised and high-performing you have to model these behaviours and positively reinforce them within your teams.

  • Balanced leaders have more energy and focus to pursue innovative ideas and strategies. They have higher attendance levels and they are present with their team. Their self-awareness is higher, and they have an increased awareness of how their team are so therefore, more likely to notice changes within their team and be able to respond and support individuals quickly.


Avoiding the Burnout Trap: Long-Term Planning

  • Ensure that you have systems in place that prevent burnout, such as time management techniques, setting clear priorities, and frequent self-evaluations.

  • Use my 'PIPS framework' to check in with your plan, intention, performance and structure to help you create a strategy that supports your roadmap to success without the risk of burnout.

  • Schedule in time to regularly revisit your goals and ensure they are still aligned with your values and balanced with your overall well-being. I do a detailed review and planning session every 12 weeks with clients and encourage them to do a quick individual check-in every month.

  • Emotional intelligence is so important in all of this. Understanding personal limits, recognising burnout in both yourself and the team, and encouraging open communication all make a difference. Having an awareness of how your behaviours impact others in your team is at the core of this.


Take the First Step Toward Ambitious Yet Balanced Leadership

You are welcome to book a free consultation to discuss how you can pursue your ambitious goals without sacrificing your well-being. Book HERE. For more information on how I work with leaders and organisations visit the website.

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn HERE


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