The Hidden Cost of Being Always 'On' as a Leader, and How to Switch Off Without Losing Momentum

by Sean Foster | October 29, 2025  | Business Coaching

Somewhere along the way, staying "on" became the badge of honour for business leaders. Always reachable. Always solving problems. Always thinking two steps ahead.

But there comes a point when being always "on" becomes less about dedication and more about depletion.

If you're the kind of leader who struggles to switch off, this isn't about guilt or time management. It's about protecting your clarity, energy, and decision-making capacity, because when those erode, so does your business's momentum.

The Invisible Toll of Constant Connectivity

Being constantly engaged might feel productive, but it often leads to:

• Decision fatigue
• Blurred work-life boundaries
• Missed strategic thinking time
• Decreased creativity
• Reduced emotional availability for your team
• Exhaustion, depression and lower ‘love’ for your business and yourself

Over time, this clearly takes a toll not just on you, but on your business. When your leadership energy is drained, your ability to lead effectively suffers.

If your team seems to be mirroring that same fatigue or disengagement, it might be time to reassess how you're connecting with them. One powerful way to do this is by using tools like the Empathy Map. Our article The Empathy Map Framework: Practical Leadership for Managing Staff and Improving Team Performance offers a clear, practical framework to better understand your team’s mindset and create meaningful change in how you lead.

What Staying 'On' Is Costing You (That You Might Not See)

You might be seeing it in subtle ways:

• Reacting instead of responding
• Losing your sharpness during meetings
• Feeling flat even after a win
• Dreading downtime because it feels unfamiliar

Leaders often overlook this because their output still looks high. But it's not about how much you're doing. Rather we should be applying a quality lens to your efforts.

If you’re exploring how to lead with greater clarity, emotional intelligence, and impact, check out our Leadership Development page. It offers deeper insight into how leaders can build capability, influence their team culture, and move from reactive to intentional leadership.

Research That Supports the Need to Switch Off

A global study by Deloitte revealed that 77% of professionals have experienced burnout in their current roles, and nearly 70% feel their employers aren't doing enough to prevent it. (Yes, this problem exists both in your world as a business owner and with many of your employees as well.)

While the study wasn't exclusive to business owners, the implications are clear: sustained high engagement without intentional recovery leads to exhaustion and eventually, disengagement.

The same research highlighted that one of the top ways to reduce burnout is by encouraging leaders to disconnect outside work hours and model sustainable behaviours for their teams. So switching off isn’t just good for you, it sets the tone across your business.

Why Switching Off Doesn't Mean Losing Momentum

Contrary to the fear, stepping back doesn't mean the business slows down. In fact, the right kind of rest:

• Rebuilds cognitive capacity
• Enhances emotional intelligence
• Supports better delegation
• Sharpens strategic clarity

It allows you to return to the business with more than just energy, you return with insight.

How to Practically Switch Off Without Losing Control

Switching off doesn’t mean disappearing. It means creating healthy, sustainable leadership patterns:

1. Redefine what 'switching off' looks like for you

• It could be 90 minutes of no-device time daily
• A protected weekend morning
• A quarterly off-site with no operations talk

2. Set boundaries that signal trust, not absence

• Communicate your availability with your team
• Create clear escalation paths

3. Invest in leadership structures

• Empower your team with clear decision-making frameworks
• Coach them to trust their judgement

4. Reconnect with non-business interests

• Creativity and perspective often return when you're in a different rhythm such as reading, surfing, walking, journaling.

Your Business Needs the Best of You. Not What's Left of You

If you're feeling stretched thin, chances are your clarity is too. Your team doesn't just need your presence; they need your perspective. And perspective doesn't come from grinding. It comes from space.

Making time to switch off is one of the most strategic decisions you can make as a leader.

But switching off only works if your team can hold the weight in your absence, and that’s often where the real challenge begins. If you've already invested in training but your team still isn’t stepping up, there could be deeper issues at play. Our article "What to Do When Your Team Isn’t Stepping Up—Even After Training" explores why this happens and what practical steps you can take to create genuine, lasting change in team performance.

Want to Learn How to Lead With More Clarity and Less Burnout?

You can book a free session with Sean to explore how executive coaching, leadership clarity work, or strategic support can help you lead in a way that's sustainable, without losing your edge.

FAQ

1. What are the risks of always being 'on' as a business leader?
Constant connectivity leads to decision fatigue, blurred work-life boundaries, diminished creativity, reduced emotional availability, and eventually, exhaustion or burnout for both leaders and their teams.

2. Why doesn’t switching off reduce business momentum?
Taking intentional breaks actually rebuilds cognitive capacity, emotional intelligence, and strategic clarity, allowing leaders to delegate more effectively and return with renewed energy and insight.

3. How can leaders practically switch off without losing control of operations?
Leaders can set clear boundaries such as no-device time, protected mornings, or quarterly off-sites, communicate availability and escalation processes, invest in empowering team structures, and coach staff to make autonomous decisions.

4. What does research say about burnout among professionals and leaders?
A global Deloitte study found that 77% of professionals have experienced burnout and that sustained engagement without recovery leads to exhaustion. Encouraging leaders to disconnect and model healthy boundaries reduces burnout across organizations.

5. How can reconnecting with non-business interests benefit leadership?
Engaging in activities like reading, walking, or journaling helps leaders restore perspective and creativity, contributing to more intentional and resilient leadership when they return to work.