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  • Stop Asking Burned Out Thoroughbred Leaders to Win the Race

    Stop Asking Burned Out Thoroughbred Leaders to Win the Race

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    Christy Suerth, MS, SPHR, CPC, CHC

    Last week, I was chatting with my neighbor, a former jockey who spent years racing some of the best horses in the country.

    He told me about a horse he once ran too hard. The animal had enormous heart and talent, and even when injured, it tried to push through. But one race changed everything. The horse finished (barely) and was never the same again.

    “Once a thoroughbred breaks,” he said quietly, “he won’t ever run the same again.”

    That line stayed with me. Because I see it play out in workplaces every day. We ask burned out leaders to do more and more.

    The Thoroughbred Leader

    High-performing employees, your thoroughbreds, are the ones who give extra, stay late, and care deeply. They don’t need constant motivation because excellence is already in their blood, in their DNA.

    But when they start to falter, showing signs of exhaustion, cynicism, or self-doubt, leaders often respond with: “We need to get engagement up.” They double down on focus groups, action planning, motivation, goal setting, or pep talks, asking these same employees to “dig deeper” or “recommit.”

    It’s the workplace equivalent of urging an injured racehorse to run faster.

    Burnout Is an Injury, not a Motivation Problem

    Gallup reports that nearly 30% of the workforce is burned out and burnout affects top performers more often.

    Some quick math: In a 500-person company, 15 thoroughbreds (your top talent), working at 75% capacity, costs the company over $560,000 per year.

    When someone is physically, mentally, or emotionally depleted, no amount of focus groups and action planning to improve engagement will restore their performance. Burnout erodes capacity from the inside out and, unless it’s addressed, those employees don’t just leave the company; they lose part of themselves in the process.

    Companies Are Not Thinking About the Cost of Burned Out Leaders

    Most organizations rely on engagement surveys to understand employee well-being. Engagement data tell you how committed people feel, not how depleted they are. Ironically, your team can be 100% committed yet burned out to their core.

    That’s why I use the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) in my work. These tools reveal why people are struggling, pinpointing root causes like workload, control, recognition, fairness, values alignment, and community.

    When leaders have that data, they can finally fix what’s broken instead of pushing people harder.

    A Better Question: Are my Leaders Healthy Enough to Win the Race?

    Before asking for more engagement, productivity, or discretionary effort, pause and ask: “Are my top performers healthy enough to run?” Because if they’re burned out, they don’t need a pep talk, they need recovery and systemic changes in their work environment.

    Protect your thoroughbreds, and you protect your performance. Ignore their injuries, and you risk losing both.

    What do you think?

    Have you ever seen a “thoroughbred” employee pushed too hard? How did it impact them and the team?

    Interested in learning more about burnout assessment tools? Contact us.

    The Burnout Imperative is a weekly newsletter for CHROs and business leaders. Follow it here on LinkedIn.

    #BurnoutPrevention #EmployeeEngagement #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalHealth #HRStrategy #CorporateCulture #instituteforburnoutrecovery

  • Why High Performers Burn Out First and Quit

    Why High Performers Burn Out First and Quit

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    Christy Suerth, MS, SPHR, CPC, CHC

    Your highest performers tell you they are leaving because they’ve been offered more money at another company. But it’s not always true.

    Some leave because they’re exhausted.

    And often, you won’t see it coming.

    In my HR career, I sat in countless Talent Review Meetings. Leaders spent enormous effort identifying high-potential talent – our “Hi-Pos.” We invested heavily in their development, planning for a future ROI.

    But what if they burn out before the return is realized?

    Take “Elena” (not her real name). She was brilliant, articulate, and already seen as a future VP. At the same time, she was a mom, caring for an ill parent, and married to a partner with an equally demanding career. From the outside, she had it all together.

    On the inside, she was running on fumes. Skipped meals. Sleepless nights. Guilt over missed school events. Guilt over leaving work at 5:00. Anxiety that she was “barely enough” at work and home.

    When she finally spoke to me, she was in tears. She was already deep into burnout and seriously considering quitting.

    Her story isn’t rare. It’s a pattern I see often: High-performing women, carrying heavy loads at work and at home, who silently burn out. Then, something breaks.

    Why High Performers Burn Out First

    • They say yes too often. Elena rarely turned down requests, even when she was stretched thin.
    • They self-silence. She didn’t want to appear weak, to others or in her own eyes, so she kept going.
    • They set very high standards. She expected excellence in every domain. No tolerance for “good enough.”
    • They become over-relied on. Her leadership team leaned heavily on her because she always showed up.

    These dynamics don’t just exhaust energy. They erode engagement, focus, and resilience.

    Recent Data on Burnout in High Performers: The Numbers Back It Up

    To show this isn’t just one person’s story, here are some recent findings:

    • A McKinsey/LeanIn survey of ~65,000 U.S. employees found 42% of women report feeling burned out, compared with 35% of men. Constant “always-on” expectations make a difference. (UNLEASH)
    • Deloitte research across 5,000 women in 10 countries showed 53% of women say their stress levels are higher than a year ago, and almost half feel burned out. (Deloitte)
    • According to McKinsey Health Institute, 37% of adult caregivers report high burnout symptoms (emotional, exhaustion, cognitive impairment), compared to lower rates for those caring for children. Caring for ill family members is a serious risk factor. (McKinsey & Company)
    • In a report about “high performers,” 53% of them said they are burnt out; higher than the rate among typical employees. (Modern Health)

    These stats show that burnout isn’t rare; it is widespread. And for high-potential talent, like Elena, the risks are compounded.

    The Leadership Blind Spot – Burnout in High Performers

    Many leaders assume that if someone is delivering, they’re okay. But that assumption is dangerous. High performers, especially those in caregiving roles or with heavy home responsibilities, often:

    • Mask their stress
    • Push through until they don’t have a choice
    • Avoid asking for help to protect their reputation

    This means that by the time the visible signals show up (e.g., a decline in quality, missed deadlines, withdrawal, lost enthusiasm) it’s already very serious.

    What Leaders Can Do About Burnout in High Performers

    Here are practical actions to prevent the burnout of your top people:

    • Redefine what success looks like. Celebrate sustainable performance, not just long hours.
    • Spot subtle signals. Fatigue, irritability, disengagement. If a previously reliable leader becomes quiet, don’t assume it’s just “busyness.”
    • Normalize asking for help. Create real space (not just a policy) for people to speak up when they’re overloaded.
    • Audit workload and responsibility. Distribute critical tasks more evenly; avoid defaulting always to your top people.
    • Support caregivers explicitly. Recognize that caregiving responsibilities (for children or adult parents) are major stressors. Flexibility and benefit plan design matter.

    The Bottom Line

    Elena’s story is painful, but we can learn from it. Burnout doesn’t just cause turnover. It dims innovation, erodes trust, damages reputation, and weakens organizational culture.

    If your high performers are burning out first, then the real risk is not only losing talent, but also momentum, credibility, and the strategy you’re trying to execute.

    I’ve worked with many leaders to identify burnout risk, redesign what’s broken, and protect their people (and culture) from burnout. If you want to be the leader who prevents that from happening, let’s connect.

    Sign-up for my weekly newsletter on LinkedIn.

    Learn more about ways to recognize burnout on your team: Your Team is Burned-Out! Nine Ways to Recognize It