How to Build Resilient Leadership and Prevent Burnout in the Workplace

In a time where leaders are stretched and employee wellbeing is at risk, Sharp & Carter’s latest webinar, "Rethinking Leadership, Risk and Resilience in the Workplace” offered critical insights for HR leaders, people managers and workplace wellbeing advocates. Hosted by Feyona Lau, High Performance & Wellbeing Director at Sharp & Carter, and Kate Connors, Psychologist & Chief Mental Health Advisor, the session delivered an honest exploration into how organisational systems and leadership practices must evolve to meet the demands of a changing world.

Here’s what we learned and why these insights are vital to the future of work.

Thriving Workplaces Don’t Happen by Accident

One of the key messages was clear: thriving workplaces don’t happen by chance; they are designed with intent. As Feyona and Kate highlighted:

Employee wellbeing and high performance are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, both concepts are deeply intertwined, and both are shaped significantly by the design of organisational systems.

The Thrive at Work Framework was introduced as a practical roadmap, built on three pillars:

Designing High-Performance Work Environments
Energising Employees
Enhancing Growth & Purpose

Feyona framed it simply: “The system and the self are always in play, resilience is not just about individuals, but also the environments we create for them.”

Psychosocial Risks are Rising

Psychosocial risks are escalating, and they’re no longer invisible. Two of the most prominent are unreasonable workloads and vague expectations.

These issues are leading causes of stress, burnout, and disengagement. Kate shared that her recent research conducted on leadership and wellbeing revealed that 71% of leaders report working excessive hours, and 59% feel they lack agency over their team design. Meanwhile, workplace cultures that silently reward overwork like staying late to “prove” commitment, continue to quietly amplify risk.

When roles are poorly designed, or systems don’t support wellbeing, the gap between organisational intent and lived experience grows. That gap itself becomes a risk.

Resilient Leaders Need Resilient Systems

Leaders today are caught in a difficult space as they are responsible for both care and compliance, but often with minimal structural support. The webinar spotlighted the reluctance of many leaders to seek help, highlighting the need for:

Psychological safety for leaders themselves
Clear, co-designed role expectations
Systems that reward open, meaningful conversations

One striking stat fromKate’s leadership research: only 11% of organisations measure leadership wellbeing.

This underinvestment is creating real costs: burnout, disconnection and lost productivity.

The solution? Reframing leadership support as a system-wide responsibility. Role clarity, delegated authority, and trust-based systems aren’t perks, they are essential leadership tools.

Practical Tools to Move from Insight to Action

To avoid burnout and build real resilience, the webinar shared actionable strategies:

For Individuals:

Recognise early stress signs. Tension, sleep disruption, emotional fatigue.
Seek clarity. Regularly align with your manager on role and expectations.
Reach out. Colleagues, HR, trusted leaders, friends and family are resources, not burdens.

For Organisations:

Measure leader wellbeing. Track lead and lag indicators meaningfully.
Apply the SMART Role Design Framework
Enable co-designed delegation. Balance accountability with autonomy.

The intention is to not add more to leader’s plates, but to redesign the plate entirely.

Shared Accountability Is the Path Forward

Wellbeing and high performance aren't individual burdens. They are shared goals. When systems and people are aligned, resilience becomes sustainable. When they are not, performance suffers, and so do people.

From redesigning KPIs to embedding feedback loops, Sharp & Carter’s commitment to people-first performance was echoed in every insight shared. The session ended with a simple but powerful reminder:

Everyone can influence a system, big or small. What will you change?

Final Thoughts: Thriving Workplaces Begin with Thoughtful Design

The future of work must be built on shared accountability, inclusive system design, and evidence-informed leadership.

At Sharp & Carter, we don’t just place great leaders, we help organisations support them to thrive.

Let’s create workplaces where resilience isn’t just expected but enabled.

Source: R Our Leaders Ok? R Our Leadership Systems Ok? A preliminary investigation, Kate Connors, 2024

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