Are We Looking at Leadership Burnout Through Too Narrow a Lens?
Over the past few years, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this question:
What will it take for educational leaders to sustain leadership over the long term?
Through our work at ialign, in collaboration with PBC, we analysed the human side of school leadership in our white paper, Will Principals Be in School Leadership for the Long Run?
What we found was not surprising, but it was significant.
Our Educational Leaders are:
• Highly altruistic
• Deeply committed
• Modest about their impact
• Reluctant to delegate
• Inclined to over-commit
• Driven by purpose
And when under pressure, many struggle to say no, carry too much themselves, and absorb the emotional load of their communities.
It is a powerful combination. It is also a vulnerable one.
In our data, 67 percent of school leaders scored highly on altruism. Many prioritise supporting others, often at the expense of their own wellbeing. A significant proportion also scored highly on dutifulness and diligence, which under stress can translate into overcommitment and difficulty delegating. You can read more about that in our white paper.
For years, our conversation around retention has centred on workload, policy, funding, staffing shortages, and structural reform. All important. All real.
But recently, I have been wondering whether we are still missing something.
What if this conversation is not only psychological and structural, but also deeply physiological?
And perhaps more importantly, to what extent are we deliberately addressing that layer?
The Human Operating System of an Educational Leader
I have been listening to a number of episodes of the Huberman Lab Podcast by Andrew Huberman, Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford. His work focuses on how light, movement, stress, sleep, and nervous system regulation influence human performance and wellbeing. Not from a motivational lens. From a biological one.
It made me pause…
Because when I look at an educational leader’s week, I see:
Early starts. Indoor environments under artificial light. Back-to-back decision making. Emotional conversations. Staff shortages. Parent concerns. Evening emails. Interrupted sleep.
We are asking leaders to make complex, high-stakes decisions in a state of chronic cognitive load.
Neuroscience is increasingly showing us that sleep quality, circadian rhythm alignment, regular movement, and stress recovery are not optional extras. They are foundational to decision making, emotional regulation, and resilience.
This is not about biohacking. It is about biology.
Movement Is Not Fitness. It Is Nervous System Hygiene.
One of the themes Andrew Huberman speaks about consistently is the impact of regular exercise on mood, stress buffering, and cognitive performance.
Not elite training. Not perfection. Consistency.
If our leaders are wired to put others first, then waiting for “time” to appear for exercise is unrealistic. It has to be reframed.
Movement becomes:
A boundary ritual. A nervous system reset. A leadership stabiliser.
What if three deliberate sessions a week were not a lifestyle choice, but part of leadership infrastructure?
What if walking meetings became normal?
What if we treated physical recovery as seriously as we treat professional development?
Light, Sleep and Decision Quality
Another area Huberman explores in depth is the role of light exposure in regulating circadian rhythm.
Morning light exposure influences alertness and mood. Evening light exposure influences sleep quality. Sleep quality influences emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility.
Now consider the average educational leader’s reality:
Indoor environments most of the day. Screens late into the evening. Interrupted sleep due to stress.
If we know that burnout is rising, and retention is fragile, why are we not also examining sleep architecture and then environmental design inside schools?
This is not about prescribing routines. It is about asking better questions.
What About Emerging Modalities?
Huberman has also discussed red light and near-infrared light therapy, sometimes referred to as photobiomodulation. The research is still evolving, but there is emerging evidence around mitochondrial function and recovery.
I am not suggesting this is the solution. But I am suggesting this:
If we are serious about retaining leaders, we need to be willing to explore every lever that supports sustainable human performance.
Not instead of structural reform, but alongside it.
Expanding the Frame
In our white paper, we see that principals’ strengths can become risks under pressure. Altruism becomes over-giving. Diligence becomes over-functioning. Modesty becomes invisibility.
That remains true. But perhaps the next stage of the conversation is broader.
Personality matters. Culture matters. Policy matters… and so does physiology.
If we want leaders to remain in the role for the long term, we need to think beyond motivation and into sustainable human design.
We need to ask:
What does the nervous system of an educational leader look like in week eight of term three? What does chronic sleep disruption do to conflict navigation? What does consistent movement do to emotional buffering? How might environmental design support energy rather than drain it?
This is not about trends. It is about recognising human limits in leadership.
School leaders carry enormous responsibility. If we are asking them to care for entire communities, we must also care for the human system that allows them to do so.
Perhaps the next evolution in leadership sustainability is not another policy document.
Perhaps it is thinking outside the box and asking what else might be influencing the long-term health of our educational leaders.
If this conversation resonates, I would encourage you to explore:
• Huberman Lab Podcast episodes on light and circadian rhythm
• Episodes on exercise and mental health
• Discussions around stress physiology and recovery
I would also genuinely welcome thoughts from other leaders.
What else should we be looking toward?
Tara Staritski
CEO & Founder
