Signs of Manager Burnout: 10-Minute Fix for Leaders 2026

Signs of Manager Burnout: How One Leader of 18 Got Her Energy Back — and the 10-Minute Meeting That Helped Last updated: October 16, 2026 Trusted by leaders at Stanford University, Ernst & Young, Autodesk, MGM Grand Resorts, and Farmers Insurance Executive Summary: Managers keep hitting deadlines while quietly running on empty. Gallup reports manager engagement fell to 22% in 2025. In WLS 170, Sabrina Braham shares the signs of manager burnout, how Martha recovered after suddenly leading two teams of nine, and a 10-minute Monday meeting any leader can start this week. Quick Takeaways: Manager engagement dropped from 27% to 22% in 2025 alone (Gallup, 2026). Strong results can hide the signs of manager burnout — watch for postponed one-on-ones. Ask a stretched manager: "What's become harder, and what support are you missing?" A 10-minute Monday meeting — wins, roadblocks, ideas, recognition — re-energized two teams. Coaching changes how you lead; organizations must still fix the conditions you lead in. Jump to: Why It's Missed · 6 Signs · Martha's Story · The 10-Minute Meeting · The Results · For Senior Leaders · Action Plan · Mistakes · FAQ · 2026 Trends As an executive leadership coach with more than 30 years of experience (MA, MFT, PCC) and host of the Women's Leadership Success Podcast — on air since 2007, ranked in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide, with 57,000+ monthly downloads — I see the signs of manager burnout long before most companies do. The deadlines still get met. The problems still get solved. But listening, developing people, and thinking ahead quietly disappear. The numbers explain why this matters now. Global manager engagement fell from 27% to 22% in 2025, and managers are now no more engaged than the people they lead (Gallup, 2026). Meanwhile, the average U.S. manager now leads 12.1 direct reports, up from 10.9 a year earlier (Gallup, 2026). When I posted an infographic on the signs of manager burnout on LinkedIn, it drew more than 40,000 impressions. So in Episode 170, my co-founder Tim Warren interviewed me about Martha — a director moved to manager in a downsizing and handed two teams — and the 10-minute meeting that helped her lead again. Key moments in this episode 00:00 — When managers run out of energy to lead 02:30 — Why results hide the signs of manager burnout 03:00 — What senior leaders should notice 04:10 — Martha's story: director to manager of two teams 06:30 — Where coaching began: listening and strengths 09:00 — The 10-minute Monday meeting 12:25 — The agenda and "How can we help you?" 16:50 — What companies must change after downsizing 20:55 — One conversation to have this week 22:10 — Where Martha landed Why the Signs of Manager Burnout Are So Easy to Miss in 2026 Managers are expected to deliver results, solve problems, develop people, and keep morale up — all at once. Many keep meeting deadlines while exhausted. As I told Tim, the results can hide how much they're struggling. Manager engagement is falling fastest Gallup's latest State of the Global Workplace report shows manager engagement has dropped nine points since 2022. In the prior year's report, female manager engagement fell by seven points (Gallup, 2025). That matters because Gallup attributes about 70% of the variance in team engagement to the manager. When managers run on empty, their teams follow. The "Great Flattening" is stretching managers thin Companies are cutting management layers. The leaders who remain absorb larger teams and more work. Gallup finds 97% of managers also carry individual contributor work, and more managers now report burnout, stress, and job-seeking than a few years ago. Martha's 18 direct reports were triple Gallup's median of five to six. Senior women are feeling it most About 60% of senior-level women report frequent burnout, compared with 50% of senior-level men — the highest level in five years. Among senior women with five or fewer years at their company, it's 70% (McKinsey & LeanIn.Org, 2025). The cost of missing the signs of manager burnout Ignored, the signs of manager burnout become a team that disconnects and a high performer who quietly starts job-hunting. For you, it can mean losing the energy and visibility that get leaders promoted. Running on empty — and worried it's showing up in how leaders see you? Send Sabrina a direct message on LinkedIn. Tell her what's become harder, and she'll point you to your next best step. Name what's draining your capacity to lead Find one change to propose to your leader this week Protect the energy and visibility that get leaders promoted DM SABRINA ON LINKEDIN 6 Signs of Manager Burnout Senior Leaders Should Notice Just like success leaves clues, so does struggle. Here are the six signs of manager burnout from the infographic that sparked this episode. The infographic that drew 40,000+ impressions on LinkedIn. One-on-ones become status reports. Or they get postponed entirely. There's little time left for coaching. They solve instead of coach. Doing it themselves feels faster — so fewer employees get development conversations. Recognition gets rushed. Good work gets a quick thanks but rarely a real conversation. Development keeps getting postponed. Urgent work always wins. They stop challenging upward. They execute decisions rather than contribute perspective. They become more reactive. Meetings focus only on deadlines and immediate problems. The manager seems less curious and less enthusiastic. Here's the important part: these signs of manager burnout are reasons to start a conversation, not proof of disengagement. Ask two questions: "What's become harder? And what support are you missing?" Martha's Story: From Director to Manager of Two Teams I'll call my client Martha. She had been a director at her company. Then the company downsized, and she became a manager. After the restructuring, she was responsible for two teams of nine employees each. A manager there would normally lead one team of nine. The two teams also had very different tasks and responsibilities. Martha was working long hours, she was exhausted, and she was losing interest in her job. That's when she called me. The title change mattered. But so did the workload and the organizational disruption. Martha showed nearly every one of the signs of manager burnout above. Where coaching started: listening first When someone has just been hit by a truck, you don't tell them what to do differently. You help them function again. So I listened — to her discouragement and to what had changed in her role, workload, and support. As a former psychotherapist, I always start with the full picture. The strengths question that changed everything Once we understood the problem, one pattern stood out. Martha was doing a huge amount of the work herself, without really including her teams. So I asked her: What are your employees good at? What strengths aren't they getting to use right now? What responsibilities could they take on, with the right support? She hadn't given this much thought — and she became very excited. She saw ways to take things off her plate and develop her people. That's the shift from expert to architect. The 10-Minute Monday Meeting: A Simple Fix for the Signs of Manager Burnout We worked on several changes. The one that made the biggest visible difference was a 10-minute all-hands meeting held once a week, on Monday. It gave Martha a regular way to hear from both teams and to notice contributions she might otherwise have missed. The agenda: five prompts, ten minutes One success worth sharing — a win, big or small. One roadblock that needs help — named, not solved, in the meeting. One improvement suggestion — a better way to do something. One colleague to recognize — for exceptional work. Milestones — birthdays, work anniversaries, a child graduating. The ground rules that keep it useful Protect the scope. This is not a planning meeting or a deep problem-solving session. Schedule those separately. The leader goes first. Martha led off by sharing, which set the tone and the format. Not everyone speaks every week. Participation, not performance. Close the loop. Come back to what people raised: what helped, and what didn't. How employees responded At first, the teams were less than enthusiastic. But the format created a rhythm. Over time, people became friendlier, shared more ideas, and recognized colleagues on their own. The two teams even found ways to help with each other's work. Martha spotted chances to improve systems and morale from what people said. The question that changed the culture: "How can we help you?" Soon, people started asking each other: How can we help you? Sometimes the answer was simple — like honoring a "do not disturb, 2 to 4" sign so a colleague could finish a Friday report. Think how good it feels when someone asks how they can help. Try This Now (5 minutes): Put a recurring 10-minute meeting on your team's calendar for Monday morning. Paste the five prompts above into the invite. Next Monday, go first with one success of your own. Want help launching your own 10-Minute Monday Meeting? Message Sabrina on LinkedIn with your team size and biggest roadblock. She helps leaders like Martha go from overloaded to leading again. Tailor the five prompts to your team Spot which work to delegate first Turn people-development wins into promotion-ready stories MESSAGE SABRINA What Changed for Martha — and Why She Ultimately Moved On Here's the part that made me smile. Martha's team began asking her, "How can we help you?" They weren't waiting to be delegated to. They looked for ways to take work off her plate. She became more enthusiastic about leading. She started thinking creatively about systems and team morale. She took more breaks and reduced working hours — for herself and her employees. She saw more chances to develop people instead of handling everything herself. The meetings were one part of the change; coaching and adjusting