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Leaders in the resources sector are often navigating operational systems that are highly complex. Delivering projects safely, on time, and under budget may be a baseline expectation yet external factors such as market volatility, supply chain issues, regulatory changes, can shift the goalposts without warning.
Executives can be held accountable for navigating these variables, often with constrained resources and workforce gaps that may not easily solved by internal levers alone.
In this environment, the expectation to deliver more with less can often be reinforced by systemic pressures that limit the control leaders have over decisions that impact these outcomes most. Leaders can find themselves at a breaking point, shouldering high levels of responsibility, without the tools or support to sustainably deliver.
The critical question may not be who is burning out, it’s why and how. More importantly, what are the risks to the organisation when leadership capacity begins to erode?
What’s Really Going On: Burnout as a System Signal
Burnout is defined by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon, an outcome of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed (World Health Organization, 2019)¹.
In the resources sector, the pressures of volatile markets, compliance burdens, and constrained workforces can create a structural imbalance where demand outpaces capacity.
Research suggests that burnout tends to emerge when individuals feel accountable for outcomes, yet lack the authority, resources, or flexibility to deliver them (Maslach & Leiter, 1997)². This is a pattern we increasingly observe: leaders are tasked with safeguarding safety, performance, and culture, yet may often be left navigating system bottlenecks with fewer resources, problems they cannot resolve.
Why It Matters: The Commercial Risk of Leadership Burnout
Burnout is rarely solely an HR issue. When leadership capacity frays, the risks can become significant:
- Strategic decisions may slow or become reactive.
- Safety cultures can erode under pressure.
- Talent pipelines may weaken as leaders leave or disengage.
- Operational resilience may falter, impacting delivery timelines and stakeholder trust.
McKinsey research suggests that organisations with adaptive leadership systems, where authority is distributed and workloads are aligned to capacity, are better positioned for resilience and commercial performance (McKinsey & Company, 2021)³.
The question for boards and executives may not only be how to support individual leaders, but how to redesign the system so leadership can be sustained.
Rethinking the Leadership System
Addressing leadership burnout can start with reframing it as a system-level issue, not an individual problem to solve. Organisations may benefit from reflecting on:
- Where are we expecting more than our system can deliver?
- Do our current structures enable leaders to shape priorities and make meaningful decisions?
- How might we reduce chronic load, create clearer focus, and build in recovery rhythms without compromising performance expectations?
- Are we treating workforce shortages as operational gaps, or recognising their cumulative impact on leadership sustainability?
Burnout, in this light, may be less about individual resilience and more about systemic fragility.
Closing Reflection
Leadership sustainability is a strategic issue. When organisations overlook the system-level drivers of leadership burnout, they can risk eroding the very capability they rely on for long-term success.
Metisphere offers bespoke strategic advisory services designed to facilitate sustainable and positive behavioural change; ensuring that individuals, teams, executive groups and organisations are productive and engaged. Get in touch at https://metisphere.co/contact/.
References:
- ¹ World Health Organization (2019). Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases.
- ² Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It.
- ³ McKinsey & Company (2021). The Impact of Agility: How to Shape Your Organisation to Compete.
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