The Real Reason Your Team’s Struggling? Look in the Mirror

Hey Spark Family, 

Let’s get real for a second. How many times have you encouraged your team to find balance—reminding them to unplug, take breaks, and avoid burnout? Now, how often do you actually follow your own advice?

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably found yourself firing off emails at midnight (shhh… I’m writing this at 11:30 PM, guilty as charged), squeezing in “just one more task” before bed, or skipping lunch because there’s “too much to do.” Sound familiar? It’s okay—we’ve all been there.

Here’s the hard truth: if we don’t model balance ourselves, our teams won’t feel empowered to do it either. It’s not enough to talk about it—we have to live it and show them how it’s done.

Setting Boundaries Starts with You

If you’re sending emails at 10 PM, guess what? Your team will feel like they need to be available too. Whether we mean to or not, we’re sending the message that they should always be “on.” And here’s the thing: setting boundaries isn’t just a “nice-to-have” idea—it’s a necessity.

Decide when your workday ends, and stick to it. Let your team know it’s okay to log off, breathe, and take time for themselves. 

And more importantly, show them by doing it yourself. 

When they see you respecting your own time and boundaries, it’s like a permission slip for them to do the same. (No emails signed “Sent from my iPhone” at 11 PM—promise? ;))

Prioritize Rest and Recovery

Burnout doesn’t hit like a freight train—it sneaks in slowly, layer by layer, while you push through exhaustion and ignore the need for rest. 

And we can’t ignore it and think we can just “push through” for the sake of meeting goals - because studies show employees experiencing burnout report a 63% drop in performance and productivity. So that overachiever mindset will backfire! 

As leaders, we sometimes treat breaks like a luxury we can’t afford. But let me remind you of this: you can’t lead effectively if you’re running on fumes.

Make space for yourself to recharge, and show your team that taking breaks to rest (or have fun!) is how you fuel long-term success, not a sign of weakness. When you treat your personal time as essential, they’ll see that it’s okay to step back, reset, and come back stronger.

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