Burnout for Leadership: A Cultural and Leadership Perspective

Burnout is often misunderstood as an individual failing, rather than a predictable outcome of high-pressure systems and leadership cultures. For legal leaders and managers, this misunderstanding carries real risk, to people, performance, and organisational sustainability.

This webinar explores burnout through a leadership lens, with particular relevance to the legal profession.

It defines burnout clearly and distinguishes it from everyday pressure or short-term stress, drawing on established psychological and organisational understanding. The session also covers the regulatory obligations regarding mental health and wellbeing set out by the SRA in their 2022/2023 guidance and frames this around not only wellbeing, but also compliance, risk and reputation.

Designed for senior leaders and managers, and anyone who works alongside others as part of a team, the webinar examines how high-performing individuals often mask burnout, and how leadership behaviours, role-modelling, and unspoken expectations can either perpetuate or prevent it. Relevant terminology such as psychological safety, duty of care, capacity, and sustainable performance will be explored in practical, accessible terms.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of why burnout is a leadership issue, not only a personal weakness, and what credible, proportionate changes leaders can make to protect themselves and also retention, morale, and long-term performance.

Burnout doesn’t signal a lack of commitment. It signals a system under strain. This session helps leaders learn how to see it in themselves and others, and respond in a way that mitigates the risks of harm.

Top 3 Things Facts From the Webinar:

Burnout is a leadership and systems issue, not a personal failure
Burnout develops when sustained pressure meets limited recovery and unspoken expectations. In high-performing cultures, it is often mistaken for commitment or competence. Leaders play a critical role in shaping the conditions that either normalise burnout or prevent it.

High performers are often the last to be noticed, and the most at risk
Burnout rarely looks like disengagement at first. It often shows up as over-functioning, perfectionism, reduced perspective, and emotional flattening. Without early recognition, this quietly erodes judgement, decision-making, and long-term performance.

Sustainable leadership protects performance by protecting capacity
Rest, boundaries, and realistic workload management are not soft options. They are strategic leadership practices that support clarity, retention, and trust. Sustainable performance is created through leadership choices, not individual endurance.

Who This Is For:

Legal leaders or managers, future leaders and those working as part of a team.

Level of Expertise:

This webinar is for suitable for all levels.

CPD Hours:

This live webinar provides you with 1 hour of learning.

Attendees will receive a CPD certificate upon completion of this course.

Learning Objectives

• Understand burnout as a leadership and cultural issue, rather than an individual weakness
• Clearly define burnout and distinguish it from pressure, stress, and short-term overload
• Recognise the early and often hidden signs of burnout in high-performing individuals
• Identify how leadership behaviours, systems, and unspoken expectations can contribute to burnout
• Understand the leadership risks associated with burnout, including impact on performance, retention, judgement, and morale and the regulatory, compliance and risk implications
• Identify practical, proportionate actions leaders can take to support sustainable performance within their teams