Burnout Blindspots: When High Performers (and their managers) Mistake Busy for Productive

Chances are, if you ask a colleague or a business associate how they are, the response will be “busy.”

Claiming “busy” as one’s default state is problematic for many reasons, not least of which is that it’s not an opening for any kind of quality, relationship-building conversation. That said, if “busy” is truly what most people are experiencing as their primary state, what is that saying about who we are as humans and what we’ve created as work culture?

Let’s examine what’s often going on behind “busy.”

If “busy” is a euphemism for “tired,”

If “busy” is an admission of working beyond capacity,

If “busy” is an attempt to cover or avoid deeper feelings of unhappiness or dissatisfaction (whether with role or company),

…then “busy” is not a status symbol. It’s a warning sign.

What’s particularly tricky about high performers is that they often don’t see the warning signs, especially in themselves. They’re used to pushing through, used to being the go-to, used to being “fine.” They conflate endurance with excellence. So when the long hours start taking a toll and when the relentlessness of the calendar starts causing things to slip, it can be hard for them to recognize the difference between being focused and being depleted.

This is where burnout hides in plain sight.

Rather than the dramatic crash people associate with burnout, the more common version - especially among leaders - shows up in subtle shifts:

• A creeping impatience with colleagues.
• A blank stare at the end of the day when asked what actually got accomplished.
• A sense that even a weekend away won't be enough to reset (if in fact they would consider actually shutting down for a weekend).
• Waking up exhausted.
• Neglecting basic health and wellness practices like diet and exercise.
• Cancelling or avoiding social activities and conversations with non-work friends and family (who might notice fatigue or short-temperedness).
• A deepening reliance on phrases like “just trying to keep my head above water.”

One of the most overlooked indicators is decision fatigue. When someone starts struggling with choices they’d usually make with ease, or when every small decision feels momentous, it’s often a sign that cognitive bandwidth is running low. Similarly, a drop in empathy - becoming less curious, more transactional, or outright cynical - is often a protective response to emotional overload.

And still, they’ll tell you they’re “just busy.”

There’s also a cultural issue at play here. In many professional environments, “busy” has become code for “important.” There’s a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) pressure to be perceived as maxed out in order to be seen as valuable. “I’m slammed” becomes shorthand for “I matter.” That dynamic makes it even harder for people to admit they’re struggling, because stepping back, even briefly, can feel like falling behind (or worse, being anything other than totally indispensable).

But here’s the truth: busyness is not the same as impact. A full calendar doesn’t always reflect meaningful contribution. And pace, left unchecked, undermines perspective. Highest quality thinking occurs when there is space to breathe and reflect, not jammed in between tasks.

So what can we do?

Leaders - and the coaches, peers, and mentors who support them - need to create room for more honest conversations (starting with the hopefully regular 1:1 meeting with the manager). Not “Are you busy?” but “What’s working for you right now?” Not “How full is your calendar?” but “Where are you most energized?” Questions that invite people to reflect, rather than perform. Questions that support critical thinking, not about the business problem, but about the “how” of getting what’s most important done without undue cost to the human beings involved.

We also need to stop glorifying hustle as the default state of high achievement. Sustainable performance - true leadership - requires renewal. It requires boundaries. It requires the humility to recognize that doing everything doesn’t prove your worth; it just proves you're trying to to it all, and are therefore likely overextended (and most likely not delegating or tapping other resources appropriately).

Busy is not a personality trait. It’s a signal.Let’s start treating it like one.

For interesting reading on the topic of how we’ve gone too far with “hustle culture,” check out this new book from Amanda Goetz - “Toxic Grit.”