Paul Willis

You've answered a "quick work question" during dinner, a birthday party, or vacation. Here's why that's often a sign of burnout, not just dedication.

A leader who controls — through micromanagement, fear, withholding approval, manufactured urgency, or even relentless positivity that punishes negative feedback — is not actually leading. They are coercing. The Failure of Coercive Leadership Coercion produces a particular kind of leadership and team: people who comply without ownership, perform without initiative, and eventually burn out from the exhaustion of sustained inauthenticity. An uncontrolling leader influences through clarity of...

Leadership Burnout: How to Let Go of Control and Lead with Love