Leading is Emotionally Exhausting.

In healthcare, “just another Tuesday” can look like delivering hard feedback, absorbing a top performer’s resignation, or carrying regulatory pressure. As an executive coach and former healthcare COO, I’ve seen this emotional load pile up—and burn leaders out.

A recent Harvard Business Review piece, “Leading Is Emotionally Draining. Here’s How to Recover,” reminds us that emotional exhaustion isn’t a glitch—it’s a feature of leadership if we don’t build recovery intentionally. Harvard Business Review

Here are three recovery practices healthcare leaders can embed now:

1. Micro-rest & Reset Rituals - Build short, intentional pauses into your day. Take two deep breaths before you walk into a tense meeting. Step outside after lunch, even if just for five minutes. These micro-breaks help you restore composure and gain clarity for your next move.

2. Reflect & Reframe - Capture emotionally heavy moments in writing or with a coach/peer. Ask: What was draining? What feelings came up? What boundary or shift might protect me next time? Reflection helps you reframe challenges—not as failures, but as signals for growth.

3. Cultivate Support & Delegation - No leader scales alone. Build trusted support systems (mentors, peers, coach) and delegate both tasks and emotional labor. Empower leaders around you to share burdens so you lead with strength, not in isolation.

   
   

If you’re leading a healthcare team, you don’t have to accept fatigue as normal. Investing in recovery strategies is part of your leadership. Want help building a personalized recovery plan for yourself or your leadership team? Let’s connect—I’d be honored to walk that journey with you. As someone who has been in your seat and hit a wall, my goal is to prevent other leaders from experiencing the same - leadership doesn't have to equal overwhelm.