Lisa Murphy identifies three physical signs of burnout in leaders: persistent fatigue that sleep doesn't fix, a weakened immune system causing frequent colds and headaches, and sleep disruption from racing work thoughts or early-morning waking between 2 and 4 am.
Number 1, fatigue that sleep cannot fix. This is not tiredness. This is a persistent bone-level depletion that sits underneath even a full night's rest. One of my clients, a fractional CFO, slept 9 hours a night for 3 weeks straight and woke up feeling like she hadn't slept at all. She thought something was medically wrong with her. Nothing was medically wrong. Her tank had been running on empty so long that sleep alone couldn't refill it. Number 2, a weakened immune system. Chronic stress suppresses immune function. If you're cycling through more colds, headaches, or unexplained physical complaints than you used to, that's your body sending data, not just bad luck. Number 3, sleep disruption. Two patterns show up here. Some leaders can't fall asleep, their minds circling to-do lists and worst-case scenarios. Others fall asleep fine but wake between 2 and 4 AM. Both are your nervous system communicating that it has exceeded its capacity.
Lisa Murphy on Speak Feed Lead Conversations with Jackie Bailey | Premieres October 16
