Navigating Burnout: How Leaders Can Support Their Teams’ Mental Health – Insights from Erin Coakley

Erin Coakley’s “Leading By Example During a Crisis”

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped workplaces in unprecedented ways. Teams faced immense pressure—endless Zoom calls, blurred lines between work and home, and the ongoing uncertainty.

While the worst of the crisis has passed, burnout continues to be a significant concern. Today’s leaders face a critical question: How can they protect their teams’ mental health while maintaining productivity and purpose?

In her highly regarded book, Leading By Example During a Crisis, Erin Coakley offers a thoughtful and practical roadmap for navigating this complex challenge. Drawing from her frontline healthcare leadership experience and extensive research, Coakley outlines how resilience, self-care, and intentional leadership can help create thriving workplace cultures.

Burnout: More Than Exhaustion

Burnout is not just about being tired. It’s the deterioration of motivation, creativity, and connection. Coakley suggests that the first step to mitigating burnout is modeling healthy habits from the top.

During the pandemic, hospitals with leaders who visibly prioritized self-care tended to experience lower burnout rates. One nurse manager began taking 10-minute meditation breaks during shifts, and her team followed. A surgeon decided to cancel non-urgent meetings after overnight shifts, sending a clear message: rest is essential, not optional.

Redefining Productivity Through Resilience

Coakley reinterprets resilience not as “pushing through” but as working smarter and recovering better. She encourages leaders to create time for recovery as part of the productivity equation.

Hospitals that implemented “no-meeting Fridays” observed reduced decision fatigue. One clinic instituted 15-minute team walks after stressful procedures—simple, evidence-based changes that positively influenced workplace culture.

Spotting the Silent Signals

Burnout doesn’t always announce itself. Leaders must learn to spot subtle red flags, such as emotional detachment, frequent mistakes, or physical symptoms like insomnia or headaches.

Coakley shares the story of a star ICU nurse in Chicago who began arriving late and snapping at colleagues. Instead of issuing warnings, her manager asked, “What do you need right now?” That question led to shift adjustments and counseling support, improving both well-being and performance.

Building Trust Through Conversation

Regular, compassionate check-ins are critical. Simple questions like “How’s your workload?” or “What support do you need?” can encourage psychological safety.

Leaders who listen to both words and silences can spot struggles early and offer meaningful support before it’s too late.

Policy in Action: Living, Not Laminating

Coakley emphasizes that wellness policies tend to be effective only when leaders embody them. Her research identifies three commonly successful strategies:

Flexible scheduling: A Seattle hospital allowed nurses to choose shifts around childcare, helping boost productivity and reducing burnout by 20%.
Peer support networks: Buddy systems and no-agenda coffee chats have helped teams reduce stress and fight isolation.
Mental health resources: Clinics offering therapy sessions and “mental health days” reported significant reductions in turnover.

But Coakley insists: leaders must use these tools first. When CEOs take mental health days or scale back after high-stress projects, they send a message to teams that wellness is not just permitted—it’s encouraged.

Summary: Leadership as Protection

The pandemic taught us that burnout is not inevitable—it’s often shaped by leadership choices. Teams can handle intense periods if they know recovery is coming.

In Leading By Example During a Crisis, Erin Coakley provides science-backed strategies to spot burnout early, build emotional resilience, and foster cultures of sustainable performance.

The book is set to release soon. Consider pre-ordering your copy to learn how to protect your team’s mental health while achieving lasting success.

Because great leadership isn’t just about managing tasks—it’s about caring for the people who make progress possible.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For specific concerns related to mental health or workplace issues, please consult with a qualified professional.