Leading Through Change Without Burning Out: Why Energy is a Strategic Asset
In one of our recent leadership workshops with a public sector client navigating sweeping reform, a senior leader reflected:
“I know my team is watching me to set the tone. But between the policy shifts, morale dips, and 12-hour days—I’m not sure I’ve got anything left in the tank to give.”
They’re not alone. Across the public and private sectors, we’re seeing leaders stretch themselves thin trying to do it all: guide adaptive change, support team wellbeing, and hold everyone together. They’re doing it with integrity and commitment—but often at great personal cost.
The work of adaptive leadership, as Ron Heifetz frames it, is not about quick fixes—it’s about navigating complexity without a map. It involves holding uncertainty, resisting the urge to solve, and “staying in the heat” long enough for meaningful shifts to emerge.
We often talk about managing this ‘heat’ of change for others—adjusting the metaphorical thermostat to create the right tension. That’s because in principle, adaptive leaders retain a balcony perspective – emotional distance from the chaos intended to act as a protective buffer.
But inevitably, as leaders learn to lead this way, they are drawn in by the system that surrounds them – the patterns of work that they are trying to move on from. As simple as it might be to suggest taking a step back, we often encounter leaders who have overheated themselves. They’re ‘stayed in the red’ too long, taking on load, absorbing tension. When you’re leading through prolonged ambiguity, the demand is strategic. But it’s also physiological and emotional. It’s about stamina.
So as we learn to lead adaptively, what other strategies can support us?
Beyond Selflessness:
The Energy-Smart Servant Leader
It might seem strange that a potential solution might come from Servant Leadership – a style focused on giving to others. Often misinterpreted as self-sacrifice without limits, it can become unsustainable. We often encounter leaders who constantly put themselves last, earning admiration at the expense of clarity, presence, or health.
But new research (Stotler et al., 2025) is showing that leaders who “buy into” the servant-first mindset experience positive affect, which fuels vitality, intrinsic motivation, and a deeper sense of work meaningfulness. In other words, when enacted authentically, servant leadership may build reserves rather than burn them. The research showed that leaders who started their days deploying servant leadership traits felt more motivated and connected in the afternoon than they otherwise would have.
Of course, this is not a silver bullet but a useful addition to other tips and tricks for restorative self-care. In a recent look on the sustained transformation at Virgin, change stamina was attributed to leaders treating their energy as a strategic asset, not a private indulgence. This means they recover in micro-moments, set boundaries, and build surge capacity for those moments that require bursts of additional effort—like an elite athlete managing peak performance across a season, not a single match.
Burnt-out leaders can’t drive transformation. And overextended empathy becomes unsustainable without replenishment. It’s time to evolve the image of the ideal leader. Not as the one who gives endlessly, but as the one who manages their energy wisely, so they can keep showing up when it counts.
This week, try one micro-reset for yourself. Step outside between meetings. Take five deep breaths before a tough conversation. Turn a debrief into a walk-and-talk. Not because it’s a luxury—but because it’s part of your job.