How to spot burnout before it happens

Burnout is getting all the attention right now—but it’s not where the problem starts. By the time a leader is burned out, the breakdown in performance, communication, and capacity is already underway. Organizations aren’t preventing the issue; they’re reacting to it after the damage is already done. In a recent conversation with a senior executive at a large nonprofit navigating a period of rapid change, I asked whether her organization was dealing with a fire drill. She paused and said, “No, it’s more like things are smoldering.” That distinction matters. Most organizations don’t recognize there’s a problem until the fire is visible. But by then, the impact is already unfolding. More than 75% of the global workforce reports experiencing burnout. In response, companies have invested heavily in workplace well-being programs, often centered around self-care. But many of these efforts miss the mark—because they’re focused on the outcome, not the cause. They’re solving for burnout after it happens instead of identifying what leads to it in the first place. The better question isn’t how to reduce burnout. It’s: What are the early signs that burnout is already in motion, and how do we intervene before it gets there? In my work with high-performing leaders—especially women—I’ve found that burnout is rarely the starting point. It’s the outcome. The earlier signal is overwhelm. Most high performers don’t get flagged as at risk because they’re still delivering. From the outside, everything looks fine. On the inside, they’re operating under increasing pressure, carrying more responsibility, and making decisions with less margin for error. And no one thinks to ask if anything is wrong. This is especially true for leaders who are also caretakers. Today, childcare costs exceed housing costs in all 50 states, and nearly a quarter of workers are part of the sandwich generation—caring for both children and aging relatives. They are responsible not just for their teams, but for their