The Burnt-Out Boss: The Development and Test of a Model of CEO Burnout

Bowen Lou; Neil Shepherd

Abstract

Senior executives face heightened burnout risk, reflecting a burgeoning global mental health crisis. Despite this, society expects senior leaders to remain impervious to work-related stressors. However, untreated burnout in executives perpetuates stigma, limits support, and exacerbates the mental health crisis, impacting organizations and society. However, when executives experience and promote well-being, they are better positioned to support their employees. This paper therefore aims to change the conversation, addressing CEO burnout and promoting sustainable work practices that prioritize well-being over relentless productivity. We explore CEO burnout, integrating upper echelons (UE) theory with the broader psychology literature. While discussions about workplace stress and employee well-being have intensified, CEO burnout has been almost entirely overlooked. However, many CEOs succumb to burnout due to the relentless expectations and pressures they face on a daily basis. We therefore develop and test an integrative theoretical model, analyzing triadic survey data from 160 CEOs, their spouses, and CFOs. Our study investigates the influence of both dispositional (e.g., personality and affective traits) and situational factors (e.g., family, firm, and industry settings) on CEO burnout. Our findings aim to deepen understanding of the multilevel origins of CEO burnout and provide insights for developing supportive strategies.

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 18 Jun 2025
Event	85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management - Copenhagen, Denmark Duration: 25 Jul 2025 → 29 Jul 2025 https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting

Conference

Conference	85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management
Country/Territory	Denmark
City	Copenhagen
Period	25/07/25 → 29/07/25
Internet address	https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Access to Document

https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/AMPROC.2025.10038abstract

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Persistent link

Cite this

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title = "The Burnt-Out Boss: The Development and Test of a Model of CEO Burnout",

abstract = "Senior executives face heightened burnout risk, reflecting a burgeoning global mental health crisis. Despite this, society expects senior leaders to remain impervious to work-related stressors. However, untreated burnout in executives perpetuates stigma, limits support, and exacerbates the mental health crisis, impacting organizations and society. However, when executives experience and promote well-being, they are better positioned to support their employees. This paper therefore aims to change the conversation, addressing CEO burnout and promoting sustainable work practices that prioritize well-being over relentless productivity. We explore CEO burnout, integrating upper echelons (UE) theory with the broader psychology literature. While discussions about workplace stress and employee well-being have intensified, CEO burnout has been almost entirely overlooked. However, many CEOs succumb to burnout due to the relentless expectations and pressures they face on a daily basis. We therefore develop and test an integrative theoretical model, analyzing triadic survey data from 160 CEOs, their spouses, and CFOs. Our study investigates the influence of both dispositional (e.g., personality and affective traits) and situational factors (e.g., family, firm, and industry settings) on CEO burnout. Our findings aim to deepen understanding of the multilevel origins of CEO burnout and provide insights for developing supportive strategies.",

author = "Bowen Lou and Neil Shepherd",

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T1 - The Burnt-Out Boss

T2 - 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management

AU - Lou, Bowen

AU - Shepherd, Neil

PY - 2025/6/18

Y1 - 2025/6/18

N2 - Senior executives face heightened burnout risk, reflecting a burgeoning global mental health crisis. Despite this, society expects senior leaders to remain impervious to work-related stressors. However, untreated burnout in executives perpetuates stigma, limits support, and exacerbates the mental health crisis, impacting organizations and society. However, when executives experience and promote well-being, they are better positioned to support their employees. This paper therefore aims to change the conversation, addressing CEO burnout and promoting sustainable work practices that prioritize well-being over relentless productivity. We explore CEO burnout, integrating upper echelons (UE) theory with the broader psychology literature. While discussions about workplace stress and employee well-being have intensified, CEO burnout has been almost entirely overlooked. However, many CEOs succumb to burnout due to the relentless expectations and pressures they face on a daily basis. We therefore develop and test an integrative theoretical model, analyzing triadic survey data from 160 CEOs, their spouses, and CFOs. Our study investigates the influence of both dispositional (e.g., personality and affective traits) and situational factors (e.g., family, firm, and industry settings) on CEO burnout. Our findings aim to deepen understanding of the multilevel origins of CEO burnout and provide insights for developing supportive strategies.

AB - Senior executives face heightened burnout risk, reflecting a burgeoning global mental health crisis. Despite this, society expects senior leaders to remain impervious to work-related stressors. However, untreated burnout in executives perpetuates stigma, limits support, and exacerbates the mental health crisis, impacting organizations and society. However, when executives experience and promote well-being, they are better positioned to support their employees. This paper therefore aims to change the conversation, addressing CEO burnout and promoting sustainable work practices that prioritize well-being over relentless productivity. We explore CEO burnout, integrating upper echelons (UE) theory with the broader psychology literature. While discussions about workplace stress and employee well-being have intensified, CEO burnout has been almost entirely overlooked. However, many CEOs succumb to burnout due to the relentless expectations and pressures they face on a daily basis. We therefore develop and test an integrative theoretical model, analyzing triadic survey data from 160 CEOs, their spouses, and CFOs. Our study investigates the influence of both dispositional (e.g., personality and affective traits) and situational factors (e.g., family, firm, and industry settings) on CEO burnout. Our findings aim to deepen understanding of the multilevel origins of CEO burnout and provide insights for developing supportive strategies.

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