Burnout is particularly perilous among leaders because it doesn’t just affect them individually, but reverberates throughout the entire organization. Leaders set the tone, culture, and standards for their teams, and when they’re off their game, that impact is both measurable and contagious. According to Gallup, employees with burned-out managers are 50% more likely to burn out themselves.

Leaders are often reluctant to admit burnout because it challenges their sense of competence and resilience—traits they’ve worked hard to cultivate. The irony is that many traits valued in leaders—drive, ambition, status orientation, and perfectionism—are the very ones that can make them more susceptible to burnout.

When a boss experiences burnout, it often leads to shifts in leadership effectiveness, communication, and decision-making. A burnt-out boss may unintentionally affect the mood and morale of the team. Detecting burnout early helps address the issue before it negatively affects the entire team’s energy, motivation, and enthusiasm.

While detecting burnout in your boss is more art than science, science can inform and improve your approach to spotting the typical indicators of burnout in your boss. Indeed, here are some subtle, science-backed signs that your boss might be experiencing burnout, along with strategies for how to support them effectively:

A strong vision is the beating heart of effective leadership. Leaders thrive on ambitious goals, a sense of purpose, and the belief that they drive meaningful change. However, the leader’s sense of purpose becomes blurred when burnout sets in, and their visionary spark dims. Instead of focusing on strategy and big-picture thinking, they become overly preoccupied with day-to-day survival, and long-term goals take a backseat.

According to studies on burnout’s impact on executive functioning, burnout impairs

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