We tend to read burnout as a matter of too much. Often it is a matter of fit: a mismatch between how we are wired and what our work asks of us, day after day. Two kinds of misfit are worth separating. Values misalignment says: I don't believe in what we're doing. Strengths misalignment says: I believe in it, but I spend my days working against my grain. The first is well researched. The second is rarely named. It is also coachable. That starts with keeping our strengths in vi

Like athletic coaching, executive coaching is not remedial work. Athletes don't hire a coach because they don't know how to run. They hire a coach because they're already fast, and they want to find out what's possible beyond that. My clients usually want to become better at something they already care deeply about. They are already capable, accomplished, and respected. They may have built organizations, led teams through uncertainty, created meaningful growth and change, or

Could one cause of burnout be something as inconspicuous as this: we have come to believe there is something wrong with us, constantly? My short answer is yes, with a very important qualification. Burnout is not caused by an inner critic alone. The research continues to point to chronic workplace stress, excessive demands, inadequate resources, low autonomy, role conflict, and insufficient support as major contributors. But an inner critic can intensify those conditions by pe