Leadership Boredom: Why You Feel Burned Out and How to Reignite Your Drive

What if you’re not burned out? What if you’re just… bored? Sometimes leaders think they’re exhausted when really, they’re under-challenged. Boredom can become a quiet killer in leadership, and it happens to everyone. When you’ve mastered the role, it’s easy to settle into a rhythm that doesn’t require much of you. Over time, this ease starts to feel, well, boring! If you want to inspire others, you must first learn to reignite your curiosity and create a fresh vision for yourself. In this week’s episode of The Champion Forum Podcast, we discuss the signs that you’re not burnt out, you’re bored.

Here are a few signs you’re bored at work, not burnt out.

1.     You’re running on autopilot.

You can do your job without thinking. It’s efficient, but also uninspiring.

2.     You stop seeking feedback.

You used to crave input. Now you mostly nod through it because you think you already know the answers.

3.     You’re more reactive than proactive.

You handle things well, but you rarely create new things. You’re maintaining the machine, not reinventing it.

4.     You don’t feel stretched anymore.

When you’re not stretched, you start to shrink.

Q: Have you ever seen any of these signs in your own leadership? Which ones? What effect did it have on your leadership?

The psychology behind boredom

The brain loves efficiency. It wants to conserve energy to help you survive. So, once you master something, it builds habits that make you more automatic. Over time, these habits cause leaders to stop growing, not because they don’t care, but because they’ve trained their brains to stay safe.

When leaders get bored, teams get stale.

People pick up on it. They feel when your curiosity has cooled. Your team stops taking risks because you’ve stopped modeling them. You’re still present, but not engaged. Still leading, but not inspiring.

When leaders get bored, they start protecting what they built instead of building what’s next.

Q: Have you ever been on a team where the leader was bored? What were some of the signs? How did their attitude and actions affect the team? What was the outcome?

Activities to Help You Get Reenergized at Work:

1.     Chase Curiosity Again.

Ask more questions than you answer. Get in rooms where you’re not the smartest person anymore. Reignite your learning habit. Read, listen, and talk to people outside your industry.

2.     Raise Your Standards Again.

You may have outgrown your goals. What once stretched you now feels small. Set new, bigger goals and stretch yourself beyond what is possible.

3.     Mentor or Build Someone Behind You.

Teaching reawakens passion. When you pour into someone else, you reconnect with purpose.

4.     Create a New Challenge Within the Role.

Don’t wait for a promotion!  Reinvent what you already lead. Find one system, one process, or one strategy that could be improved. Turn your role back into a laboratory.