What Broke Me Wasn’t the Work — It Was Leadership Burnout
- Kristi Duvall
- Jul 6
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
The Cost of Overfunctioning and Leadership Burnout
There was a season in my leadership career when I didn’t just lead—I carried it all.
The pressure. The emotions. The strategy. The fallout.
I was the problem-solver, the bridge, the person who made it all work.
But underneath that polished surface, I was quietly unraveling.
This wasn’t just burnout—it was the cost of overfunctioning in a high-stress leadership environment.
And like many modern leaders, I didn’t see it coming until I was deep in it.
What Is Overfunctioning—and Why Does It Lead to Executive Burnout?
Overfunctioning looks like leadership on the surface:
Taking initiative
Being dependable
Anticipating problems before they happen
Stepping in when others fall short
But here’s the hard truth:
Overfunctioning isn’t sustainable leadership. It’s a slow leak that drains your clarity, confidence, and creativity.
In my case, I thought I was being helpful. But I had become the buffer between dysfunction and reality.
The system wasn’t thriving—it was just leaning on me to keep going.
How Burnout Creeps Up on High-Performing Leaders
Burnout didn’t arrive in one dramatic moment.
It snuck in through long weeks, late nights, and too many “I’ve got it” replies.
Here’s what it looked like for me:
Always “on,” even on weekends
Feeling responsible for everyone’s performance and emotions
Saying yes when I needed to say no
Coaching others through hard conversations—while avoiding the ones I needed to have
Feeling simultaneously essential and invisible
At first, it felt like high performance.
Later, it felt like resentment, exhaustion, and disconnection from the work I used to love.
The Leadership Breakthrough That Changed My Trajectory
The turning point didn’t come from a vacation or self-care Sunday.
It came from a question I couldn’t shake:
“What am I carrying that isn’t mine to carry?”
That question forced me to get honest.
I had blurred the line between being a leader and being a lifeline. And I had unintentionally trained others to lean on me instead of standing up themselves.
So I stopped asking, “What else can I take on?”
And I started asking:
What boundaries have I ignored?
What expectations need to be reset?
What conversations have I been avoiding—because it’s easier to overperform than confront?
This wasn’t about doing less.
It was about leading differently.
Modern Leadership Requires More Than Performance
If you're a high-performing leader navigating stress, burnout, or organizational change, I want you to hear this:
You are not weak for being tired.
You are not failing for needing rest.
And you are not alone if you’re secretly wondering, Is this sustainable?
Modern leadership isn’t about doing more.
It’s about building resilient teams, setting sustainable boundaries, and leading with clarity—not constant cleanup.
Let Go of What’s No Longer Yours to Hold
If your leadership feels heavy, here’s your moment to pause.
Ask yourself:
Am I leading—or overfunctioning?
What am I holding that’s no longer mine?
What would shift if I gave others the space to step up?
The cost of overfunctioning is too high.
Not just for you—but for the culture you’re trying to build.
Ready for a breakthrough—not just a break?
If you're navigating burnout, change, or decision fatigue, it might be time for more than a pause. It might be time for a breakthrough.
I help leaders recalibrate their vision, reset boundaries, and reclaim the energy they’ve been giving away.
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