Avoid leadership burnout through balance of stress and recovery

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — When demand increases for leaders in the industry, individual capacity to meet those demands rarely keeps pace, which can compromise a leader’s ability to meet their responsibilities and inevitably lead to burn out. Andrew Deutscher, founder of Regenerate, had good news, however, for baking industry leaders attending the NextGen Baker Brunch at the American Bakers Association (ABA) Convention, held April 13-17 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Deutscher pointed out that often when demand increases on an individual or team, the activities that help replenish a person or team’s capacity are usually the first things to be cut in favor of dedicating more time to projects, responsibilities and other demands. However, without the proper amount of energy to dedicate to those responsibilities, work performance will deteriorate. And while Deutscher cited data from Deloitte showing that 77% of professionals have experienced burnout at their current jobs, he also shared that 2022 Work Wellbeing Report revealed that more than 80% of survey respondents said their pressure came from managers or their own self expectations. 

“So the good news is this is somewhat within your own control,” Deutscher said. 

While time may be a finite resource, Deutscher noted that our own energy and capacity is something we can certainly influence. Leaders can expand their own functional capacity by minimizing those activities and stresses that deplete our energy and prioritizing those that replenish it. Leaders can also regenerate their energy. 

“At each moment of your day think about are you spending or recovering your energy,” he said. 

Deutscher went on to say that humans are rhythmic creatures, while modern work tends to function in a linear fashion. This disconnect requires a constant balance in every leader between stress and recovery. With that in mind, Deutscher recommended that leaders find ways to weave recovery into their every day. While two-week vacations have known health and creative benefits, he said, the ability to recover quickly and efficiently is a skill that can be developed and is particularly important for leaders who find themselves under constant demands and stress. Recovery goes beyond simply stress management, Deutscher said, it’s a winning strategy for leaders.

“To win the race you have to recover quickly and efficiently,” he said.