Why Leaders Burnout Before Their Teams
- weormond
- Oct 11
- 1 min read
It’s not because they work more, it’s because they keep too many decisions.
In our work with leadership teams, we often notice that leaders try to protect their teams by taking on work, decisions, and accountability that should be delegated.
The result? Capacity erodes fast, team engagement drops, and leader burnout increases dramatically. To counter this, we recommend a more deliberate delegation: The 4C delegation process:
Context: State the why, the outcome, and the constraints (budget/risk/time).
Contract: Name one owner, define what success or “done” looks like (outcome/ metric + date), and clarify decision rights (D/RACI).
Cadence: Hold 15-minute weekly check-ins to review status (G/Y/R), potential roadblocks, and next steps.
Consistency: Stick to the process. Avoid taking work back or skipping reviews when things get busy or challenging.
Signals you’re still carrying invisible weight:
You’re the default approver for work others could own.
Meetings end with tasks and activities, not owners and outcomes.
You constantly rewrite drafts instead of raising the standard for others.
Run the 4C delegation process for one week on a real deliverable and don’t take it back. Leaders who delegate with clarity not only burn out less, but their teams also grow stronger.
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