Why Your Managers Are Burning Out—And What You Can Do About It
- Merve Kagitci Hokamp
- Mar 23
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 24
Two weeks ago, I ran a leadership training with a group of newly promoted managers at a well-known global tech company.
The group was sharp, engaged, and wildly committed. They wanted to do right by their teams. They were ambitious, curious, and ready to lead. But by the second hour of the session, the energy in the room had shifted.
During a break, one of them—let’s call him D.—came up to me and said: “Honestly, Merve, I feel like I’m constantly failing. I’m supposed to coach my team, manage up, build culture, hit quarterly targets… but I’m also in meetings nonstop, I don’t have time to think, and I’m not even sure I’m doing any of it well.”
He wasn’t looking for sympathy. He was just being honest. And he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
Over the next 30 minutes, story after story emerged. It wasn’t just one person feeling the pressure—everyone was carrying it. Not because they were weak. Not because they lacked skills.
It was systemic - the system was squeezing them dry.
The Hidden Cost of Being a Manager Today
Modern managers are expected to be multi-hyphenate superheroes.
Coach.
Culture builder.
Strategy translator.
Talent magnet.
Performance optimizer.
Crisis diffuser.
And, of course, spreadsheet wizard and inbox ninja.
Most of them were promoted for being excellent individual contributors. Suddenly, they’re managing people—and no one’s actually taught them how. In fact, a Gallup survey revealed that 64% of managers reported being assigned additional responsibilities, and 51% experienced team restructures, amplifying their challenges.
They’re left holding the weight of leadership without the scaffolding.
And they’re doing it in a work environment that’s constantly shifting—reorgs, remote dynamics, hybrid expectations, and an increasing emotional load. One client recently described her role as “therapist, translator, and target board... on top of my actual job.”
This is the new normal. And it’s not sustainable.
Burnout Isn't a Glitch in the System. It's a Feature of How We’ve Designed Work.
A Gallup study found:
High Stress Levels: In 2023, 41% of employees globally reported experiencing significant stress the previous day, indicating widespread workplace stress.
Engagement Decline Among Managers: Manager engagement peaked at 38% in 2020 but declined to 31% by May 2023, reflecting increasing disengagement.
Increased Disruptive Change: Leaders and managers are 56% more likely to experience extensive disruptive change in their organizations compared to individual contributors, adding to their stress and workload.
Burnout doesn’t always look like someone curled up in bed unable to function.
More often, it’s the manager who’s showing up to every meeting, hitting deadlines, smiling on Zoom—but feeling numb.
It’s the one quietly questioning if they’re cut out for leadership, or fantasizing about a different life entirely.
It’s the manager who’s never taken a proper vacation because "there’s no one to cover." The one who keeps going because they think slowing down would be worse than burning out.
And it’s reinforced by an unspoken belief in many organizations: If you’re not overwhelmed, you’re not working hard enough.
The Neuroscience of Burnout
Burnout isn’t just a mindset—it’s a physiological response to chronic stress. When managers face ongoing pressure without rest or resolution, their brains remain in a heightened threat state. Cortisol spikes. Focus narrows. Creativity tanks. Emotional regulation drops.
Over time, this erodes decision-making, motivation, and even empathy—the very qualities we ask leaders to embody. Neuroscience tells us: when the brain is in survival mode, leadership becomes unsustainable.
Supporting managers not only is the right thing to do from a cultural perspective but also a thoughtful investment towards the future of your business.
What's Actually Causing It?
Here’s what I see over and over again in my work with companies and individuals:
Unrealistic role expectations – We’ve turned “middle management” into “maximum pressure.”
Lack of clarity – Managers are expected to translate strategy into execution, but no one’s aligned on what success actually looks like.
No support infrastructure – No formal training, no coaching, no real community. Just pressure to figure it out solo.
Emotional overload – People are bringing more of themselves to work than ever before. That’s a good thing, but managers are often left absorbing the emotional weight with no tools to hold it.
The result: Smart, capable leaders who feel like they’re constantly underperforming. Not because they are—but because they’re in systems that set them up to.
So What Can Organizations Actually Do?
Not performative wellness. Not another vague “resilience” webinar. Real, structural change.
Here’s what it looks like:
1. Invest in real leadership development
Promoting someone to manager is not the same as preparing them for leadership.
Equip them with practical, relevant tools—how to lead difficult conversations, manage conflict, give feedback, set priorities, delegate without guilt, and navigate ambiguity. These aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re survival skills.
Give your managers the same care and attention you give your execs. They’re your bench.
And they’re often closer to the business reality than the C-suite.
2. Build a culture of manager support
Managers should not be the organizational shock absorbers. They need places to reflect, vent, reset, and grow.
Peer circles, coaching, skip-level check-ins, and just-in-time resources are simple and effective. Don’t just ask how they’re supporting their teams—ask who’s supporting them.
One manager I coach said, “Just having a place to say things out loud without judgment changed everything for me.”
3. Get honest about workload and expectations
No one thrives in a role that requires 15 priorities and zero breathing room.
Be ruthless about clarity. What actually matters? What can wait? What needs to be said no to? Great managers are strategic, not superhuman.
Redesign roles so they allow for depth, not just output. And model that at every level.
4. Normalize learning and recalibration
Leadership is a practice, not a personality trait.
Give managers permission to be in learning mode, to mess up, to ask questions, and to grow in real time. When leaders feel safe to learn, their teams follow.
5. It’s Not Just About Retention. Reputation also matters.
When managers burn out, they don’t always quit visibly. Many stay—but disengage quietly. The ripple effect is significant: team morale dips, performance weakens, and the cultural tone of the organization suffers.
In their book Re-Engage: How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times, Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld write:
“It’s sad, really, how a negative workplace can impact our lives and the way we feel about ourselves. The situation is reaching pandemic heights—most people go to work at jobs they dislike, supervised by people who don’t care about them, and directed by senior leaders who are often clueless about where to take the company.”
When managers are equipped, supported, and trusted, they become amplifiers—of clarity, energy, and trust. They don’t just hold things together; they move things forward.
That’s what a sustainable leadership pipeline looks like. Not a few overextended high-flyers on the edge of burnout, but a strong, steady layer of capable leaders who grow with the business—and elevate others as they do.
In Conclusion
There’s a line in Work by Thich Nhat Hanh that I often return to:
“The way we work can help us touch the peace and joy that are available in the present moment. Or it can take all of that away.”
Too often, organizations unintentionally create environments where pressure overrides purpose—where roles are overloaded, and there’s little space for reflection, growth, or real support.
But the truth is: leadership doesn’t have to hurt. And burnout isn't a rite of passage.
If we want strong leaders at the helm—ones who can navigate change, inspire trust, and lead with clarity—we need to make leadership livable.
That starts by shifting how we think about support. Not as a perk, but as a core part of performance. Not as an afterthought, but as a strategy.
Burnout isn’t inevitable. But if left unchecked, it becomes institutionalized. And the cost isn’t just personal—it’s cultural, reputational, and strategic.
If you’re serious about building a resilient, high-performing leadership pipeline—start by taking better care of the people who carry the weight of leadership every day.
Not later. Now.
Hi! I'm Merve. 👋 I help leaders build high performing teams, amplify their business impact, and advance their careers.
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