Let’s talk about something uncomfortable.
Not the chaos of unaligned teams. Not broken processes.
But something that creeps in quietly—burnout disguised as high performance.
I’ve worked with operations leaders who love their jobs. They’re not trudging through the day wishing for a career change. They care deeply. They’re proud of the systems they’ve built, the fires they’ve put out, and the people they lead.
But here’s the kicker:
They’re exhausted. Not because they’re doing meaningless work, but because they’ve been taught to never stop doing meaningful work.
The cost of this? Your best talent is at risk. According to a 2025 study, 50% of high performers who are low in resilience are actively looking for new opportunities. (Source: Keystone Partners, “Creating Resilient Workforces Study,” 2025)
The Broken Reward System in Operations
In most organizations, operations is the engine room.
If Sales is closing deals and Marketing is making noise, Ops is what makes it all actually work. Yet the culture around operations often sounds like this:
“If you can manage that workload, we’ll give you more.”
“You hit your goals? Great—let’s raise them.”
“You streamlined one process? Perfect. Now tackle five more.”
No pause.
No reflection.
No celebration.
We call it high performance.
But what it really is, is an unsustainable operating model for humans.
The Science of Why We’re Burning Out
Here’s the thing: our brains aren’t wired for perpetual acceleration.
Every time we push through without pausing—without celebrating a win or assessing what actually worked—we’re reinforcing a stress loop. From a process perspective, it’s like running PDCA without the Check.
You’re planning and doing, but never reviewing.
And what happens when you skip that part?
The system breaks. Eventually, so do you.
The Alternative: Slow is a System Too
Here’s what I tell my clients:
Slowing down is not the opposite of productivity—it’s a strategy for sustainability. Tiny experiments work better than massive overhauls because they honor human capacity.
They let us learn in real time without constant self-judgment or burnout.
Try this:
- Pick one process that drains your team the most.
- Ask, “What’s one small change we can test this week?”
- Review what worked.
- Celebrate it—even if the result was just clarity.
That’s process improvement in its truest form.
Not endless acceleration, but intentional evolution.
A Personal Note to Ops Leaders
You don’t need to prove your worth through exhaustion.
You’re already the backbone of your organization. The goal isn’t to move faster—it’s to build systems that let you move with ease.
Because when your team operates with clarity and alignment, the “bigger, better, faster” happens naturally.
And it happens without burning anyone out.
In your service,
Hilary Corna
