High-Performing Employees Can Mask Organizational Weaknesses
While high-performing employees are valuable, their capability can hide underdeveloped organizational leadership systems, potentially leading to burnout, according to leadership consultant Lauren Cohen.
High-performing employees are often invaluable assets to organizations. However, their efficiency can inadvertently mask underdeveloped leadership systems, a paradox that can lead to burnout for the most capable individuals, according to Lauren Cohen, founder of Cohen Leadership Group.
"Capability can be valuable for a long time in your career, but as you elevate into leadership, it becomes much more about building capacity around you. At some point, capability can become a liability—not only because that person becomes overloaded and burned out, but because the system never develops in a way that supports organizational health," Cohen explained.
Cohen argues that organizations often place the burden of solving burnout on individuals, overlooking systemic issues. She refers to this as "leadership debt," the gap between a growing organization's needs and its supporting leadership systems.
"Organizations need to ask: How are we overburdening capable people? How are our leadership systems underdeveloped in ways that disproportionately impact those people?" Cohen stated.
For employees experiencing burnout, Cohen suggests focusing on what can be controlled, influenced, and let go of. She encourages individuals to leverage their influence by engaging in conversations with peers and leaders, acknowledging that systemic change is often a difficult but necessary outcome.