71% of CEOs Report Burnout. And They Have Teams.

New research proves burnout is systemic. Here’s how to rebuild around sustainable ownership.

Hey, it’s Nick.

In this week’s issue:

  • It’s all about CEO and business owner burnout

  • I can’t say it's short and sweet, but this topic deserves its own discussion.

Thank you for checking in this week. Drop any requests to me at [email protected]

Table of Contents

Opening

According to DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast, 70 % of CEOs report chronic stress and 40 % have considered quitting to reclaim their well-being (speakin.co).

Founder Field Note

Do you know when someone tells you they were going to buy a red car but then realizes that every car is red? This is happening to me over the past few days with burnout.

Last Friday, I had a client call who was struggling to accomplish everything she wanted to regularly, and she was exhausted trying to keep up. I immediately recognized the signs, so we adjusted her next four sessions to regain control before it’s too late.

Deep Dive Framework

Introduction:

In this week’s deep dive, I want to break down recent data suggesting that by the end of this year, we will likely see a new record in executive attrition across the government, private, and university sectors.

What does this mean for large companies? How are they tackling the challenge, and what steps can you, as a small business owner, take?

TL;DR

  • If 70% of CEOs with full teams and boards are burnt out, what about small business owners doing it alone?

  • Burnout isn’t a weakness. It’s a system failure that starts at the top.

  • Owners are often trapped in businesses they built, stuck in a role their company outgrew.

  • Boards and corporate CEOs are restructuring roles, redistributing leadership, and taking recovery seriously.

  • This is your call to do the same, before the damage is permanent.

Burnout at the Top: Not a Trend. A Crisis.

Let’s start with the facts that caught my eye:

  • 71% of CEOs report burnout

  • 70% experience chronic stress

  • 40% have seriously considered walking away from their roles
    (Source: DDI, Speakin.co, Mercer)

And these are resourced leaders. They have chiefs of staff, executive assistants, operating partners, coaches, and full boards behind them. Let’s not forget the millions of monthly revenue and 10,000+ employees.

Meanwhile, most business owners I work with are operating solo or with a small team. They’re not just leading the company. They’re also:

  • Head of sales

  • De facto HR

  • IT

  • Firefighter-in-chief

And they’re wondering why it feels like something’s about to break.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah, that’s me.” I see you. I’ve been there.

My Wake-Up Call

When I hit my first growth wall in business, I was in full operator mode.

Revenue was up. My calendar was packed. I was the guy with the answers, until I wasn’t.

I found myself resenting the very company I had built.
Not because I didn’t care. But because the structure couldn’t support the pressure.
It wasn’t a motivation problem. It was a role problem.

Of course, you know this also led to problems at home, and I wanted to hit a tree just to get a two-week break from all of it. The company never stopped.

That’s when I started pulling apart what was really happening, not just in my business then, but know as I can clearly reflect on what I should have done differently.

And what I found was this:

Burnout isn’t personal. It’s systemic.

It happens when the company outgrows its current systems and processes overseen by the CEO or owner. Their role doesn’t develop quickly enough to match the company's growth or fails to redefine their role or the entire structure around them.

And if CEOs with support systems are cracking under pressure, small business owners, who are often isolated and overloaded, are even more at risk.

The Burnout Formula (And Why It’s Not Your Fault)

Many people believe they want to have the dream job of CEO or owner, but it come with tradeoff that lead quickly to burnout more so than other roles within the company.

Let’s break it down.

1. Relentless Load

The average CEO works 62.5 hours/week, and 40% sleep less than six hours a night. That’s not “hustle”—that’s chronic stress.

2. Leadership Isolation

Most business owners don’t have a boardroom to think in. They’re making million-dollar decisions on a walk, between Zoom calls, or while cooking dinner.

3. Complexity Overload

AI. Market volatility. Hiring shortages. Your role is expanding faster than your capacity.

4. Toxic Performance Culture

If you’re not working nights and weekends, you feel behind. Even rest becomes guilt-inducing.

5. Mismatched Autonomy vs. Support

You have all the responsibility, but none of the backup.

This is a setup for failure. Not because you're not strong enough. But because you were never meant to carry all this alone. That means you, too, tough guy!

 

What Boards and CEOs Are Doing About It

As in Formula One racing, we see trickle-down technology in street cars, so let's dive into what Boards and CEOs are currently doing to address this challenge.

  • Boards are pressuring CEOs to build succession, not suffering.

  • Private equity firms are investing in infrastructure early, because they’ve seen what happens when the founder is the system.

  • Operators are getting installed before burnout becomes a turnover event.

  • Fractional executives are on the rise, because owners need air cover to think clearly.

Burnout is finally being seen as a business risk, not just a personal one.

The corporate world is adapting. Founders must too.

Because here’s the truth:
You can’t scale a company that depends on your exhaustion.

 

The Raptor Route: A Playbook for Owners Who Want to Last

Here’s what we’ve learned at Falcon Insight Partners working with owners who’ve hit this wall:

Step 1: Self-Ownership

You can’t lead others if you’re running on fumes. We start with clarity around energy, calendar, and mental bandwidth. Most owners have no white space, so we build it back.

👉 Recovery blocks
👉 “Not-my-time” zones
👉 Delegation filters

Step 2: Business Ownership

This is where you stop doing “$25/hour work” and start building systems. If the business needs you to function, it’s not scalable. Period.

👉 Org chart design
👉 SOPs + clarity around who owns what
👉 CXO-for-now roles to test leadership internally

Step 3: Scalable Ownership

We build systems that can grow without your daily input. This includes team development, accountability systems, and leadership succession.

👉 Operational dashboards
👉 Team scorecards
👉 Role transitions off your plate

We don’t fix burnout with bubble baths. We fix it by shifting from operator to true owner.

The Burnout Escape Plan (Use This Today)

If you’re on the edge, start here:

  1. Audit your week. Where are you still the bottleneck?

  2. Block time for recovery. Burnout doesn’t happen because of one big thing; it’s the slow drip of never stopping. Find out how to turn things off.

  3. Assign one internal "CXO-for-now" role this month. Let someone else run point, even if it’s just a test.

  4. List what only you can do. Everything else? You either teach it, systematize it, or stop doing it.

  5. Give yourself a 1–10 rating on ownership. Are you leading a company, or just working there?

Final Thought: Burnout Is Real. So Is the Way Out.

This isn’t a pep talk.

This is a call to build smarter before your body forces you to stop.

Boards are noticing. CEOs are shifting.
Now it’s your move.

If you’re tired, that’s not failure.

It’s a signal.

Let’s build the business to match the owner you’re becoming, and not the one you used to be.

Stay awesome, stay confident, and keep soaring higher!

— Cheering you on, Nick

Ready for more?

1) Follow me on LinkedIn: Nick Strehle

2) Sign up for this newsletter (if someone sent this to you): The Falcon’s View

3) Learn more about the Raptor Route here: Mastering Ownership

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