To get ahead of today’s “polycrisis,” leaders need to refocus on health with a new compass and best practices. And they need to critically reset before tomorrow’s “permacrisis” era where recovery never quite happens.
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We live in an era of polycrisis. And today’s challenge isn’t simply that work is more demanding. It’s that work pressures now exist alongside global uncertainty, economic volatility, rapid technological change, and personal responsibilities. Rather than experiencing a single source of stress, many people carry several at once, often without enough time or opportunity to recover.
As a physician and consultant to business leaders, I often see executives and employees navigating demanding workloads while trying to adapt to artificial intelligence, lead hybrid teams, and respond to constant organizational change. They are also carrying the weight of global events, caregiving responsibilities, relationship challenges, health concerns, and the many demands of life outside work. Individually, each of these pressures is manageable. Together, they create today’s ‘polycrisis,’ where overlapping and interconnected challenges amplify one another, creating an impact far greater than the sum of their parts.
This is more than a personal problem. When people operate under sustained pressure without adequate recovery, we see that decision-making, creativity, resilience, and engagement begin to suffer. The effects ripple across organizations through lower productivity, reduced morale, weaker leadership, and higher turnover.
Recent workplace research reflects this reality. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index found that more than two-thirds of employees struggle with work pace and volume, while nearly half report feeling burned out. However, there are steps that we can take for ourselves and our teams before today’s polycrisis becomes tomorrow’s ‘permacrisis,’ a persistent state of ongoing stress where recovery never quite happens.
Well-Being Starts With The Stress Continuum
The Individual Stress Continuum is a great place to start, to help people and teams know and recognize the signs of burnout and to assess their unique situation. This simple-to-use, color-coded tool reveals a progression from ready, to reacting, to injured, and finally to critical, along with more than 35 symptoms that help illustrate where individuals are on the continuum. To assess your situation, consider key questions around motivation (or lack of it); misplaced emotions such as anger, cynicism and self-doubt; changes in attention to detail; newfound or evolving anxiety; and more.
In my team’s work with executives suffering from stress and burnout, we often find that perception is not reality. Only when people see their specific symptoms on the continuum do they have that ‘aha’ moment, when they can honestly reflect on their situation, assess it, and catalyze positive change.
The Stress Continuum is a simple tool to help leaders and organizations to develop self-awareness, make informed decisions, and manage risks of ‘stress injury.’ This tool was first created by the US Marine Corps for use in combat settings, but has been adapted for use in many industries. Individuals closer to green are ‘ready to respond’ when stressful situations arise. And they are less likely to develop stress injuries.
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Build A Strong Foundation For Total Health
Too often, when suffering from burnout we look to complex strategies or the latest trends (hello cold plunges) to tackle stress. By doing this, we look past the proven foundational concepts and modifications that can effectively deal with burnout symptoms. These are simple, daily, non-negotiable habits that protect emotional health and well-being. They include:
- Consistent, high-quality sleep in a dark and cool room
- Stress management through mindfulness, therapy, and purpose
- Strong relationships and social connection
- Balanced nutrition, such as minimally processed foods, adequate protein, and vitamins
- Better general health and disease prevention, including monitoring of key biomarkers, for example: blood pressure, lipid panel, and inflammatory markers
- Regular exercise, including stability, strength, aerobic, and anaerobic training
These habits likely won’t surprise or impress you. But in this case, boring works. It’s also important to maintain self-awareness. This includes reflecting on what led to burnout and regularly checking in to recognize early signs of fatigue or struggle.
Change Environment To Change Behavior
Many of us try to change habits and behavior by relying on willpower. But research shows lasting change and real transformation comes from changing environment, not resolve alone. We need to explore new ways of thinking to help make the foundational habits stick. This includes modifying rather than fighting environment. It also includes creating systems and processes that support rather than sabotage health and designing spaces that make wise choices easier. Examples include:
- Move phones out of sight when sleeping or focusing on a task: just the presence of a nearby mobile phone may negatively impact cognitive function
- Structure workspaces to promote sustained effort and better habits: for example, use a standing or walking desk
- Keep good influences visible: for example, put hand weights next to your computer or place a bottle of water in your line of sight
- Step outside when feeling anxious or distracted: exposure to natural light, movement and outdoor activities can support mood and wellbeing, and lower cortisol levels
When it comes to individual wellness, we need to carefully structure our own environments for success. Meanwhile, companies need to support organizational design with health in mind, to modify team dynamics, reduce burnout, and remove unhealthy distractions. Significantly, CEOs and senior leaders must sponsor and encourage these efforts to help sustain them over the long-term.
Build Recovery Into Your Schedule
When we don’t take the required time to recover, chronic stress depletes our energy, undermines performance, and leads to burnout. While athletes often have lengthy off-seasons and recovery times between games and competitions, workers and executives are in the trenches daily. Yet rest and recovery are key to stronger long-term performance and building resilience.
For those feeling exhausted, depressed or burned out, or as if one more issue or crisis will be tomorrow’s tipping point, now is the time to act. Implement and follow foundational health concepts. Take the time to truly learn and live them. Build up basic practices and get enough ‘at bats’ to make the classic but boring solutions stick and work for you. Support your efforts at home and in the office with the environmental modifications that you need to succeed, so you don’t feel like Sisyphus fighting an uphill battle. And, finally, rest and recover.
After all, with today’s polycrisis, you—and your teams–have earned it.