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Rosey Rhyne is a senior research manager on DDI’s Center for Analytics and Behavioral Research (CABER) team, where she applies her background in I/O psychology and people analytics to better understand how to improve the leadership and employee experience. 

Rosey Rhyne

To strengthen cracking pipelines, development must drill down into each leader’s specific challenges to prepare them for the future. 

3 Steps to Personalize Leadership Development—Without Overwhelming Your Team

Across industries, burnout is leaving its mark on leaders and organizations, affecting nearly one in six leaders worldwide. Defined as chronic, unmanaged workplace stress, burnout’s impact extends far beyond temporary fatigue. Burnt-out leaders are 3.5 times more likely to leave their roles to improve their well-being, threatening succession plans and disrupting retention strategies.Ahead, we’ll break down burnout’s hidden costs, warning signs, and, most importantly, how talent development teams can protect their leadership pipelines.Burnout’s Triple Threat to Your Leadership PipelineOnce leader burnout takes root, its effects spread across your organization:1. Performance RiskBurnt-out leaders are 34 percent less effective than their peers. When leaders are just trying to survive the day, decision-making and strategic execution suffer. They may also struggle to develop the skills they need for promotion, weakening your leadership bench.2. Retention RiskWhen high-potential leaders exit, they don’t just leave gaps—they disrupt teams, take institutional knowledge and training investments with them, and cost the business in recruitment and onboarding. Burnout increases departure risk by 3.5 times.3. Engagement Risk Burnt-out leaders are half as likely to be engaged, which affects more than just their individual performance. Disengaged leaders can't develop or inspire others, leaving future leaders without critical mentorship. This disengagement spreads, passing on to high-potential employees.Warning Signs in Your Succession CandidatesHigh performers are particularly vulnerable to burnout. Driven to deliver, they often take on too much at the expense of their mental and emotional health. But burnout isn’t a sign of poor leadership fit—it’s a signal they need support. Spotting these symptoms early can save your pipeline:Decision fatigue and difficulty concentratingLonger work hours with lower productivityIncreased irritability with team membersDecreased enthusiasm for projectsNeglected self-carePhysical symptoms, like headaches and sleep issuesFactors Undermining Your Leadership PipelineFour key factors fuel leader burnout and weaken succession plans: Time scarcity: Only 30 percent of leaders say they have enough time to perform their job well. This constant overload leads to exhaustion.Resource constraints: Leaders without proper tools and information are twice as likely to burn out.Lack of trust: Leaders who don’t trust senior leadership are 4.3 times more likely to burn out, often due to emotional labor and moral strain.Work arrangement misalignment: Remote and hybrid leaders face higher burnout rates, due to blurred boundaries and communication gaps—especially when their manager’s work arrangement doesn’t match their own.These factors make it harder for high-potential leaders to advance, damaging leadership pipelines. These systemic issues require organizational, not individual, solutions. How to Protect Your Leadership InvestmentHere are three critical leader burnout prevention strategies to shore up your pipeline and improve leader well-being. 1. Strengthen Delegation Skills Delegation is the most critical skill for preventing burnout, yet 81 percent of leaders lack proficiency. High-potential talent promoted into leadership often resists delegation because they must abandon the hands-on approach that earned them recognition. But success at the next level requires shifting from being valued “doers” to strategic “delegators” who empower others.2. Improve Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution is another essential skill that reduces emotional labor and keeps teams working together smoothly. Leaders who handle conflict effectively are less likely to burn out.3. Build TrustTrust is foundational to psychological safety. High-potential employees are 3.8 times more likely to leave if they don’t trust senior leaders. In trusting cultures, leaders and teams feel safe being honest, asking for help, and collaborating.Not only do these skills support leader well-being, but there’s a competitive retention advantage: leaders in organizations that apply these strategies are 11.8 times more likely to stay. To build these skills into your pipeline, prioritize them in high potential development programs, reinforce them through coaching, and make them part of your succession planning criteria.ConclusionLeader burnout isn’t inevitable, but it can be costly. Ignoring it risks losing your best talent and weakening your leadership bench. But when organizations recognize burnout as a systemic issue and take steps to prevent it, the payoff is clear.Leaders in companies with effective burnout prevention are 2.6 times less likely to burn out—and 18.5 times more likely to enjoy leading.Resilient leaders create resilient organizations. Is your pipeline protected from burnout?Explore succession management on DDI’s website.

The Hidden Costs of Leader Burnout: Impact on Succession and Retention

Here are three essential strategies that talent development professionals should prioritize to help leaders improve their coaching skills and their understanding of why they matter.

3 Ways to Build Your Leaders’ Coaching Skills—And Why It Matters

A closer look at the skills required to lead hybrid teams, including why a progressive approach is crucial to harness the potential of a hybrid workforce and how to find success in constant change.

Hybrid Team Success Depends on Your Leaders

November 2021 - TD Magazine

Leaders who moved into their roles during the pandemic didn’t receive adequate training and support. What now?

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