By Valeria Torres | Corporate Psychologist & Executive Consultant
I’ve seen it in quiet boardrooms after intense days, in coaching sessions where leaders finally let their guard down, in emails written at 2 a.m.:
The CEO who hasn’t taken a vacation in three years.
The director who wakes up every night thinking about crisis scenarios.
The founder who executes flawlessly… but cries silently after every achievement.
And no, this isn’t just stress.
It’s not “part of the job.”
There’s something deeper that many leaders carry in silence: a constant, invisible mental load that wears them down.
For decades, corporate culture has glorified leaders who never stop—who answer emails on weekends and always have a solution at hand. Vulnerability, saying “I don’t know,” or admitting exhaustion has often been seen as weakness.
But reality doesn’t lie.
No human being—no matter how talented or disciplined—can maintain a nonstop pace of high performance without consequences.
According to Deloitte (2023), 59% of executives report feeling “exhausted” or “on the brink of burnout,” and more than 40% say it directly impacts their personal well-being and professional performance.
The mental load isn’t just about “having a lot on your plate.” It’s the constant, invisible effort of planning, anticipating, problem-solving, supporting, and leading… without pause.
It’s thinking about the business while having dinner with your family.
It’s replaying crisis scenarios as you try to fall asleep.
It’s making critical decisions even when your mind is already overloaded.
And that cumulative weight, though invisible, is real.
A study in the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health found that cognitive and emotional overload in executive roles is directly linked to burnout—a condition that affects 77% of senior leaders at least once in their careers.
One of the greatest risks? Almost no one talks about this.
High-performance culture rewards invulnerability. According to Harvard Business Review, 60% of CEOs feel lonely in their roles, and nearly half say that loneliness negatively affects their ability to lead.
And when exhaustion feels like failure, most leaders choose to stay silent.
But that silence has a cost:
Increased cynicism.
Emotional detachment.
Impulsive decision-making.
Lack of empathy with the team.
And ultimately, deep burnout.
When leaders are on the edge, the entire company feels it.
A Gallup (2022) study shows that teams led by burned-out leaders report 23% less engagement, 20% higher turnover, and a significant drop in innovation. It’s no coincidence. When leadership is exhausted, the whole system weakens.
There are no quick fixes—but there are sustainable paths.
1. Redefine success.
Shift from a model of constant output to one based on cycles. No leader can operate at 100% all the time. Recognizing the value of pause as part of performance is essential.
2. Create real support systems.
Coaching, therapy, and honest peer conversations can make a difference. Feeling seen and supported decreases emotional burden and increases resilience.
3. Foster psychologically safe cultures.
Where saying “I need help” isn’t a sign of weakness, but of emotional intelligence. Executive teams that allow leaders to be human are more sustainable.
4. Promote rest as strategy.
Not as a perk, but as an investment in clarity, creativity, and strategic thinking. Rest is not a luxury—it’s a performance tool.
This isn’t about removing pressure (leadership will always carry responsibility), but about recognizing that carrying that responsibility requires care, structure, and community.
Leadership isn’t about being invincible.
It’s about holding complexity with humanity.
It’s about saying, “I’m tired, and I want to do things differently.”
It’s about daring to be honest—even when it’s uncomfortable.
Maybe the future of leadership won’t come from AI or agile methodologies alone.
Maybe it will come from something deeper:
From leaders willing to show up not just as strategists—but as people.
Share this message with someone who needs to hear it.
Because leadership isn’t about carrying everything alone… it’s also about knowing when to ask for support.
And that—far from weakening you—makes you a stronger, more conscious, and deeply human leader.