If you lead a tech scale-up, you're the engine driving innovation, funding rounds and team momentum. But in 2025, with AI hype, relentless layoffs and economic volatility, burnout is hitting harder than ever. Chances are you’ve felt it: the late-night Slack messages, the endless investor updates, the creeping feeling that you’re running on fumes while everyone’s looking to you for energy and direction.
Burnout isn’t just personal, in scale-ups, it’s contagious.
According to LeadDev's 2025 Engineering Leadership Report 46% (of 617) reported feeling burntout (per the Maslach Burnout Inventory). And for leaders? LHH's report flags 56% experiencing it in 2024, with 4 in 10 considering quitting to save their well-being. Ouch. If you're scaling fast, you're not just at risk, you're in the crosshairs.
When leaders burn out, the business pays.
Decisions slow down, priorities can scatter. And culture erodes as teams mirror the energy they see at the top. Investors notice and customers feel it.
-
Unrelenting Workloads & Deadlines:
Tech execs juggle 24/7 connectivity, rapid pivots, and constant learning curves in a fast-evolving industry like AI and cloud. Harvard Business Review notes startups with overworking founders face 30% higher burnout risk in the first 3 years.
-
Pressure & Toxic Environments:
Expanded scopes post-layoffs mean more responsibility with fewer resources, breeding cynicism and detachment. McKinsey data shows poor delegation slows growth x3, amplifying founder exhaustion.
-
Lack of fulfilment:
Hustle culture glorifies "no sleep" badges and if there is stalled momentum due to lack of clarity, poor prioritisation or silo inefficiencies it can be hugely impactful: "Momentum is energising; lack of it is super draining."
How to Spot It Before It Derails Your Scale-Up
Don't wait for collapse—early signs are subtle but telling.
-
Emotional/Behavioural:
Cynicism, detachment, low motivation, or irritability. Tech leaders often mask it as "strategic focus," but it's a red flag.
-
Physical:
Chronic fatigue (even after sleep), anxiety or 3 a.m. wake-ups or high blood pressure.
-
Performance:
Decreased productivity, missed deadlines, brain fog or high team turnover, signalling your strain is contagious.
Burned-out leaders cost companies big: They're 2.6x more likely to seek new jobs (per LeadDev).
Practical Steps to Address & Prevent It, because Sustainable Scaling Wins
You can't pour from an empty cup, but recovery is possible.
-
Delegate Ruthlessly:
Empower teams early, studies show it accelerates growth and engagement (people & business). Use tools like prioritisation matrices to focus on high-impact decisions.
-
Set Boundaries & Unplug:
Enforce "no-work zones and times". Lead by example, don't send emails at 10 p.m. or 2 a.m. Set up tech rules such as Do Not Disturb times on your phone.
-
Build Supportive Culture:
Foster work-life balance team-wide. Encourage time off and watch workloads. Make time for healthy habits and 'creative time' when there is less pressure, more energy and shared focus on an innovation opportunity to boost morale and creative thinking.
-
Prioritise (and model) Self-Care:
I know it seems like such a lame suggestion, but it works, create focus time-blocks (e.g., Pomodoro), find hobbies (even intense ones like Chess if that's your thing) and monitor your health. Keep it simple, set realistic expectations to prevent overload.
Tech scale-ups thrive on resilient leaders. Don't let burnout stall your momentum - spot it, hack it and scale smarter.
At MojiiCo we believe in being human. In calling out what isn't working and doing something about it. We walk with you, and don't ask you to do anything we haven't done ourselves. The challenge is real, and you don't have to do it alone.