Tara Kermiet | Leadership Coach & Consultant

Calendar creeping fills every spare moment with meetings.
Role creeping piles on extra tasks that don’t belong on your plate.

The result? Overcommitment, overwhelm, and burnout.

A full calendar doesn’t equal productivity, and doing three jobs for one paycheck isn’t success.

When employees feel guilty about taking time off, they don’t actually rest. Instead, they:
- Check emails on vacation.
- Worry about being judged.
- Come back just as burned out as when they left.

Rested employees better employees. But PTO only works if people feel safe taking it.

Overnight emails aren’t a sign of dedication—they’re a sign of poor planning.

If it’s truly critical, pick up the phone. If it’s not, let it wait until the morning (or schedule it to send later).

Boundaries are how you build strong, sustainable teams.

Burnout happens because of:
- Overwhelming workloads
- Lack of support
- Toxic work environments

If companies want to support wellness, they need to address the root causes:
- Give employees more control over their work.
- Reduce unnecessary demands.
- Set the example at the leadership level.

Performance reviews should never feel like a waste of time.

Yet so many do. Why?
Because they lack what matters: clear, actionable feedback.

Confusion breeds burnout. Clarity builds confidence.

Feedback isn't just about past performance. It's about guiding future success.

Micromanaging doesn’t just slow down your team—it sends a message:
“I don’t trust you.”

The best leaders aren’t in the weeds. They set clear expectations, delegate, and then step back to let their team shine.

Micromanagement kills creativity, motivation, and morale.

You're skipping lunch.
You're staying late.
You're even dreaming about deadlines.

An impossible workload isn't a personal fault—it's a systemic problem.

You can’t outrun this kind of workload. But you can start protecting your time and energy.

Yes!! When I’m working with leaders who use that phrase, I ask them to describe what practices or evidence speaks to why they say that. That helps them to think about what it actually looks like and then I push them to use that language instead.

"We're like a family here."

Sounds nice, right? But it's often a red flag.

Here's what it can really mean:
- Unpaid overtime becomes "pitching in."
- PTO guilt trips replace real rest.
- Boundaries blur because "family comes first."

Work isn't family. It's work.

Every unnecessary meeting sends this message:
My time is more important than yours.

The average employee spends 31 hours/month in unproductive meetings.

Over time, this leads to frustration, disengagement, and burnout.

The most successful leaders I know?

They're building burnout-resistant energy by:
- Prioritizing rest to recharge.
- Protecting mental clarity.
- Rebuilding emotional resilience.
- Strengthening social connections.

They measure success by how much energy they have.

There's too much focus on:
- Saying yes to everything.
- Being available 24/7.
- Proving your worth by overworking.

And not enough focus on:
- Protecting your time.
- Prioritizing what matters.
- Setting boundaries.

Always saying yes makes you the easiest person to take advantage of.

Are you saying yes because you’re scared to say no?

Before making a decision, ask yourself:
"Am I doing this because it aligns with my goals—or because I’m scared of the consequences if I don’t?"

Fear-based choices keep you stuck.
Values-based decisions help you grow.

Burnout recovery starts with what you can control: you (rest, boundaries), your support (lean on others), your work (simplify tasks + align your role), your workplace (advocate for change), and your context (adapt to bigger forces). Start small.

If you want a career that lasts, you gotta focus on balance as a critical skill.

It keeps you sharp, physically healthy, and mentally grounded.

Balance lets you keep loving your work without sacrificing yourself.

It’s possible to build a career you love without losing yourself along the way. 🫶

You can’t do this alone. Let’s talk about finding the right people.

➡️ Role Model – Shows you what’s possible

➡️ Mentor – Shares hard-earned wisdom.

➡️ Coach – Gives you honest feedback

➡️ Cheerleader – Believes in you

➡️ Sponsor – Opens doors for you

Each role brings something unique.

When I survived layoffs, it was handled poorly—no clarity, no support, just fear.

It taught me a hard lesson: "The absence of information is filled with dirt."

Leaders, remember this: Be clear, be human, and show care. Trust is built in the hard moments.

3 challenges leaders face when building trust:

1️⃣ Fear of saying the wrong thing—silence erodes trust faster.
2️⃣ Balancing empathy with action—care is key to respect.
3️⃣ Being transparent under pressure—it shows courage.

Overcome these, and you win trust and loyalty.

7/ These truths aren’t easy to face, but they’re necessary.

Leadership isn’t about easy answers—it’s about better actions.

Which truth do you think leaders struggle with most? Let’s discuss. 👇

6/ Truth 5: Engagement isn’t HR’s job—it’s yours.

Engagement starts with YOU:

• Are you coaching your managers?
• Are you creating a culture of trust?
• Are you designing work that fits strengths?

Actions tell your story.

5/ Truth 4: You can’t “engage” employees with one-off efforts.

• Train managers → Higher engagement
• Fix roles & schedules → Less stress
• Listen & act → Build trust

It’s all connected. Choose wisely.

4/ Truth 3: Burnout is a workplace problem, not a personal one.

No amount of self-care fixes:

• Poor tools
• Bad schedules
• Unclear roles

Face it: Burnout isn’t about resilience—it’s about broken systems.

3/ Truth 2: Bad managers are the #1 cause of disengagement.

Here’s why it takes so long to learn this:

• Many think promotion = great manager.
• Perks are seen as a quick fix.
• Honest feedback is often avoided.

Don’t fall into this trap.

2/ Truth 1: Your job as a leader is to manage people, not tasks.

I learned this the hard way.

I used to think my job was hitting goals. But the truth? Teams hit goals when leaders focus on people.

5 uncomfortable truths most leaders spend their entire careers avoiding:

🧵👇

2024 taught me:

1. Lean on your support squad. It's a strength.
2. Messy action → confidence
3. Trust the process.
4. Goals can (and should) evolve with life.

Check out tomorrow's episode of The Balanced Badass Podcast to reflect and set goals for 2025.

The outdated way to engage employees:
- Wellness apps
- Ignoring bad management
- Overlooking workplace stress

The new path:
- Train managers to coach
- Fix tools, schedules & job design
- Build a culture where people thrive

Thriving teams = worth the effort.

5/ Layoffs aren’t just about cutting costs.

They’re about how leaders handle one of the toughest moments in their careers.

Get this right, and you build trust that lasts.

What’s one thing you’ve seen (or done) during layoffs that worked well?

4/ Problem #3: People feel abandoned after layoffs.
How to solve it: Offer tangible support.

Extend healthcare, provide job placement help, and create alumni networks.

These actions go beyond words—they show employees their value, even as they exit.

3/ Problem #2: Layoffs are handled without empathy.
How to solve it: Speak from the heart.

Avoid the cold, generic emails. Show real care by acknowledging the difficulty of the decision and the contributions of those affected.

Empathy builds connection.