The Source of Burnout We Don’t Talk About (01/20/2026)

Happy Tuesday!

On one level, the two articles that follow may seem a bit contradictory – one is about the dangers of starting too much, and the other encourages you to start. But at a more fundamental level, they point to the same thing – avoiding the common pitfalls we fall into as individuals and organizations requires intentionality.

I hope you find value in each and the lessons will aid you, your team and your organization.

Before you get to those two articles, I’m excited to tell you about a new mini-series on the Remarkable Leadership Podcast. Starting this Thursday (for the next 5 weeks), author Jennifer Moss joins me as we talk about How to Change Your Culture in 20 Minutes or Less. (And each of our conversations is, you guessed it, 20 minutes or less.)

These are fun and practical, and I hope you listen in. Subscribe to The Remarkable Leadership Podcast (options and details here) wherever you listen to podcasts or catch them (and subscribe) on my YouTube channel. Take a watch or listen and let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading.

You are Remarkable!

Kevin 😊

You Can Always (re)Start

It’s like clockwork.

People set resolutions at the start of a New Year.

And more than half of those people stop whatever they resolved by the second Friday of January.

If we don’t count the 2nd, that means last Friday (the 16th) was the second Friday which is called Quitter’s Day.

And none of it matters.

There’s nothing wrong with resolving to do something new to change/improve your life or circumstances. And it shouldn’t be surprising that doing something new might not go perfectly.

Here’s why it doesn’t matter: you can decide on a new course at any time (not just on January 1). And you need not be surprised if you aren’t perfect at something new, maybe even stopping.

So, if you want to change, but you “don’t do” New Year’s Resolutions, you can start now.

And if you did decide a few weeks ago to make a change, great, even if you have faltered.

The world might call it Quitter’s Day, but there is a difference between quitting and stopping.

Stopping doesn’t have to be quitting.

Regardless of the calendar, and regardless of what you have done. You can always start. And if you started and stopped, you can simply restart.

Starting is an intentional choice that can always be made.

Forget the calendar and the noise about resolutions and dates. Focus on your intention, your goals and your desires.

And then choose to start whatever will serve you and those things.

And remember you can always (re)start.

The Source of Burnout We Don’t Talk About

When I was a kid, “burnout” was something you did to shorten the life of the tires on your car.

Burnout means something different than that now, and while it doesn’t affect your tires, it can affect nearly every part of your life and work. I want to talk about a very specific type of burnout that I think most people feel but may not realize it.

It’s initiative burnout.

KEEP READING

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