This is the one question leaders need to ask themselves: To avoid burnout, leaders need to pay attention to their energy levels

09/05/25 at 03:00 AM

This is the one question leaders need to ask themselves: To avoid burnout, leaders need to pay attention to their energy levels
Forbes - Work Life; by Tim Jack Adams; 9/1/25
You’ve carried the weight of big decisions, the pressure to perform, to lead and deliver, all despite what’s happening behind the scenes. You’ve navigated through uncertainty and change, providing the space for everyone else to thrive. It’s a feeling that the most capable leaders feel. It’s not quite burnout, but a kind of dullness. A slow drain. A fog that creeps in quietly and makes it harder to stay clear, connected, and grounded. ... It's not about time, it's about energy. ... To help people understand and manage their energy, my team and I developed a framework that assesses four key domains in under 60 seconds:

Physical: Stamina and recovery
Mental: Clarity and focus
Emotional: Resilience and regulation
Social: Connection and support

Editor's Note: Learn and use this for yourself, your staff and explore implications for your patients' caregivers. Twenty years ago, this concept revolutionized my workday, productivity, outcomes, and overall well-bing, via the book The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, by Jim Loehr, published in 2003. This author's "four key domains" (in this article) are extremely congruent (except Loehr's "spiritual" domain is replaced by Adams' "social" domain) and is dated September 2025.

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