Practical steps for navigating founder burnout (without quitting your day job)
I have coached dozens of founders through founder/CEO burnout. Here are some of the avenues of exploration I have found most helpful.
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Looking for some support? If now is the time to consider coaching (or a CEO peer circle) reach out here.
Two years ago, I wrote a post on ‘founder burnout’ that quickly drove thousands of views. The post hit a nerve. Burnout is rampant among founders.
As a result, navigating founder burnout has become a cornerstone of my coaching practice. I have coached dozens of leaders through the journey that recovery from burnout entails.
I thought today I might share some of the avenues of exploration I have found most helpful in navigating my own burnout and helping others to do the same.
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Space
Take space from your work, space from your normal day-to-day, space from your home life.
It is impossible to get out of your head and see your situation clearly without re-orienting your viewpoint. The easiest way to do that is to change up your space.
Many of us founder-types experienced early life promotions where we were asked to caretake our parents or siblings. If you have never taken time to put yourself first, now is that time. At least for a day.
Choice
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl wrote about the key characteristic he saw in concentration camp survivors who retained their will to live: they maintained choice.
Even in the hardest circumstances, they could choose their attitude. They could choose their response. They could choose to care for the person next to them.
Feeling stuck in your company or role? Take time to examine where you have choice. Take time to own your choice to stay in the role (or to leave).
Alignment
If your heart is not aligned with the mission or values of your company, or if your zone of genius is misaligned with the role, you will burn out.
Where can you make changes?
If alignment is not possible (as I decided was the case for me in my last CEO role), what might you do about it? How might you evolve the company or your role in a way that aligns with your values and keeps those around you supported?
Connection
Attachment theory has a lot to teach us about how correlated our resiliency is with our connection to loved ones. If you are feeling alone in your founder / CEO role, that is interesting data.
How might you foster deeper connections with your co-founders, team, friends, investors, coach, therapist, etc?
Connection breeds joy even in the face of adversity.
Play
Many of us are drawn to be founders out of a desire to create. That desire is one of the first to leave when we enter scale mode. The loss of that desire is a leading indicator of burnout.
If you are dealing with founder burnout, carve out time to play.
It does not matter ‘what’ you play. Do something just because it feels fun. Do something with no attachment to outcome.
Fear
One last avenue of exploration I will mention today, perhaps the most counter-intuitive, is fear.
Spend time trying new things that scare you.
For me, standup comedy was one of the most significant discoveries I experienced as an aid for finding my way through burnout. I could learn something new as a beginner, face a fear of getting on stage, and experience success and improvement in short cycles.
For me, it was comedy. For you, it may be something entirely different.
This kind of fear contrasts sharply with the daily buzzing anxiety many experience in founder or CEO roles. This is fear we turn toward, face, and even enjoy. It makes us feel alive.
Looking for some support? If now is the time to consider coaching (or a CEO peer circle) reach out here.
Navigating your way out of burnout is difficult. It is often a multi-year process. You do not have to do it alone.
Sending you a big hug from my desk in Los Angeles.
-Matt
