9. Leadership When You're Tired - How to Keep Your Team and Yourself Going

Tools for emotional resilience, clarity and motivation during uncertainty

1. Introduction

Business leadership is often framed as energy, drive and forward motion. But real leadership includes those quiet moments where you feel tired, uncertain or even flat. When pressure builds and the path forward isn’t clear, how do you continue to lead others and yourself?

This article belongs to Pillar 3 - Leadership in Uncertainty. It focuses on emotional resilience and self-leadership during hard or uncertain periods. Whether you’re worn down by decisions, carrying the weight of your team or facing financial pressure, this is about finding your centre and leading from it.

2. Representative Narrative

Maria runs a home healthcare business in Whangārei. Over the past year, demand has grown, but so have costs, compliance requirements and the emotional load of managing staff through difficult shifts.

Lately, she’s found herself losing focus in meetings and feeling short-tempered with suppliers. At home, she’s exhausted. She knows her staff take cues from her, but she’s not sure how to refill her tank.

She met with John Luxton, her advisor at RegenerationHQ, for a check-in. Instead of jumping straight into operations, John asked her how she was going. “You’re the engine room,” he said. “If you burn out, the business does too.”

3. Recommended Actions

• Create space to think, not just do
  Block out 30–60 minutes per week for strategic reflection. No calls, no tasks. Just space to zoom out and observe.

• Limit your daily decisions
  Reduce decision fatigue by standardising what you can — work hours, team check-ins, even meals. Save energy for the big stuff.

• Reconnect with your 'why'
  Remind yourself why you started. Reflect on who your work helps and the impact you’ve made. This often restores energy when logic can’t.

• Let someone support you
  Talk to a mentor, peer or advisor like John. Sometimes the strongest leadership move is admitting that you're tired and need clarity.

• Involve your team in solutions
  When pressure is high, share it wisely. Ask for ideas. Empower others. You don’t need all the answers alone.

4. Expected Outcomes as Narrative

Maria committed to one uninterrupted hour each Friday to check in with herself and her numbers. She stopped pushing through her fatigue and instead shared her concerns with her two team leaders. They offered to take on parts of the rostering and staff communication.

She also made a list of tasks only she could do and let go of the rest. John supported her in creating a basic “owner rhythm” - three key habits to keep her grounded.

The shift was subtle but powerful. Maria didn’t become superhuman, she became steadier. Her team noticed. Clients noticed and slowly, her energy returned.

5. Red Flags & Mitigating Strategies

Red Flag 1 - Believing you must carry everything silently
Mitigation - Build a small support circle - mentor, advisor, peer group

Red Flag 2 - Repeating the same high-effort habits with diminishing return
Mitigation - Step back and check if you’re doing what truly matters

Red Flag 3 - Confusing fatigue with failure
Mitigation - Normalise the mental load of leadership - tired is not weak

6. HR Best Practice

How leaders show up affects the whole team. When stress is visible but unexplained, it creates confusion and anxiety. Instead -

• Be open about uncertainty without projecting fear

• Model self-care by taking breaks, asking for input and staying consistent

• Create small wins the team can celebrate - progress helps morale

• Acknowledge pressure, then guide focus toward solutions

John often tells leaders that your steadiness is not just about what you do, it’s how you are when others look to you for reassurance.

7. Psychological Perspective

Prolonged stress narrows thinking. It can make small tasks feel heavy and amplify risk perception. These are not personal failings, they’re biological responses.

Naming this openly with a trusted person like John helps. It reduces the sense of isolation and helps separate fact from feeling. Leadership that includes emotional awareness is stronger, not softer.

8. Recommended Owner's Mindset

Step into a mindset of anchored self-awareness. You don’t need to be constantly upbeat. What matters is being present, honest and intentional. Sustainable leadership is not about speed - it’s about steadiness.

9. Reflective Questions for the Owner

• When was the last time I felt truly rested in my work?

• What tasks am I holding that could be shared?

• Who can I speak to without needing to “have it all together”?

• Am I leading from pressure, or from purpose?

• What would support look like for me, not just for my team?

10. Suggested Ongoing Actions

• Create a weekly “owner check-in” space in your calendar

• Limit reactive decisions by batching low-stakes tasks

• Write down 3 things each week that went right - small wins matter

• Schedule a quarterly conversation with someone like John Luxton to reflect, not just plan

• Encourage staff to care for themselves too - model it through your own choices

Critical Takeaway - When you lead from an empty tank, everyone feels it - when you lead with steadiness, you create space for strength.

If you’d like a confidential, free of charge, free of obligation conversation about your business, here’s how to get me.

📞 Phone +64 275 665 682
✉️ Email john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz
🌐 Contact Form www.regenerationhq.co.nz/contact

If you’d like to read more RegenerationHQ thinking on SME business and other things, go here – www.regenerationhq.co.nz/articlesoverview

🔹 RegenerationHQ Ltd - Business Problems Solved Sensibly.
Supporting NZ SME Owners to Exit Well, Lead Better and Build Business Value.