Why sustainability starts from within
By Dr. Katy Kamkar, PhD, CPsych, Clinical Psychologist & Orlando Da Silva, LSM, JD, CEO of the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada and Past President of the Ontario Bar Association
There is an expectation quietly embedded in many leadership cultures that those at the top should be the last to falter. Leaders absorb complexity, navigate uncertainty, manage crises, and carry significant accountability, often with limited acknowledgment and few spaces where it feels safe to struggle. While this expectation may be normalized, it can carry an important occupational cost.
Research consistently shows that leaders in high demand roles are not immune to mental health strain. In many cases, they are uniquely exposed to sustained demands, a cumulative and ongoing pressure associated with high stakes decisions, ethical complexity, and prolonged responsibility. Unlike acute stress, which can resolve, these demands often accumulate over time. When not balanced with adequate recovery and support, this can gradually affect cognitive flexibility, emotional capacity, and aspects of judgment that organizations rely on most.
The conversation about mental health in the workplace has matured considerably. What remains incomplete is an honest reckoning with what it means to address mental health at the top of the house.
What burnout looks like in the corner office
Burnout in senior leaders rarely looks the way we picture it. It doesn’t always announce itself. Instead, it shows up as shorter emotional bandwidth in difficult meetings. As decision fatigue that makes previously clear choices feel murky. As a quiet cynicism “why am I doing this?” that creeps in after years of demanding work. As reduced patience, diminished creativity, or a growing sense of isolation.
Isolation is among the most underappreciated occupational hazards of senior leadership. Leaders are highly visible, yet often only partially seen, recognized for their role and responsibilities, but not always understood in their internal experience. When leaders feel reduced to their function, disconnected from their sense of purpose, or unable to acknowledge strain without perceived risk to credibility, the psychological toll can be significant.
Disconnection doesn’t just affect leaders personally. It can also shape the organizations they lead. When demands are sustained and resources are stretched, even highly effective leaders may find themselves operating in more reactive or urgent ways or feeling pulled toward increased oversight rather than stepping back to recalibrate. These are understandable responses to pressure. The quality of leadership presence, how a senior leader regulates emotion, makes decisions, and communicates under pressure, has meaningful downstream effects on team safety, culture, and overall organizational tone.
Three protective capacities that change the equation
Research increasingly highlights several protective capacities that can help buffer against burnout, vicarious trauma, and disengagement in demanding leadership roles, including connection, meaning-making, and self-compassion.
Connection, not the performative kind but the felt sense of being understood and not alone in the work, can serve as a powerful regulator of stress. Brief, intentional peer check ins that acknowledge impact without needing to analyze the situation, such as “that was a difficult meeting, how are you doing?” or “that situation carried a lot, have you had a moment to pause?”, can help reduce isolation and normalize human responses. Staying connected to relationships and identities outside of work is equally important. This might include maintaining time with family or friends, engaging in activities that bring a sense of meaning such as community involvement, or simply preserving routines that reflect who you are beyond your role. When professional identity begins to overshadow personal identity, perspective can narrow and opportunities for recovery can become limited. Leaders who remain connected to who they are beyond their title often sustain resilience while continuing to lead with strength and professionalism.
Meaning-making is the capacity to reconnect with why the work matters, especially when outcomes are imperfect and pressures are ongoing. This is not about optimism or denial. It is a deliberate process of anchoring effort to values. This can look like noticing process-based progress, not only outcomes, such as recognizing when a difficult conversation was handled with clarity and respect even if the result was not ideal. It may involve taking a moment to reflect on where one’s presence or decision made a meaningful difference, for example supporting a team through a complex situation or creating space for someone to speak openly. It also includes balancing exposure to ongoing challenges with awareness of progress, such as acknowledging incremental improvements in team functioning or service delivery.
When meaning begins to fade, it can give rise to cynicism or a sense of fatigue. When it is intentionally supported, even in small ways, leaders are better able to sustain a sense of purpose while navigating ongoing demands.
Self compassion is a capacity that many leaders find less familiar, yet it can be especially important in demanding roles. It is also one of the most underestimated factors in resilience. It involves responding to oneself with the same level of fairness, perspective, and steadiness that one would extend to others. In practice, this might look like acknowledging a difficult decision without excessive self criticism, recognizing that not all outcomes are within one’s control, or pausing to recalibrate after a high-pressure situation rather than pushing through without reflection.
In high scrutiny environments, where decisions are closely examined and roles carry significant responsibility, the absence of self compassion can sometimes lead to increased defensiveness or difficulty adjusting course. When this capacity is present, leaders are often better able to remain open to feedback, separate identity from outcomes, and respond with steadiness. This can support what might be described as consistent accountability, grounded, clear, and proportional, while maintaining both effectiveness and professionalism.
An occupational safety imperative
Supporting mental health at the leadership level is not a luxury initiative. It is an occupational safety imperative. Leaders who are psychologically well are often more clear in their decision making, more regulated in high pressure moments, and better positioned to foster psychologically safe environments for those around them. When demands are sustained and support is limited, there can be broader impacts on team climate, decision processes, and the overall safety culture organizations are working to strengthen.
Sustainable organizations require sustainable leaders. This includes creating conditions where those carrying significant responsibility have both the space and the tools to monitor their wellbeing, reconnect with purpose, and lead from a place of capacity. In practice, this may involve normalizing brief check ins at the executive level, integrating recovery into leadership routines, and ensuring access to confidential and appropriate supports.
One of the most important occupational health investments an organization can make is ensuring that those in senior roles are supported in carrying their responsibilities in a sustainable way, with access to connection, perspective, and resources that help maintain both effectiveness and wellbeing over time.
