The CEO Rollercoaster: Hot Sweats, Boardroom Gremlins & The Great Burnout Escape

Have you ever woken up at 3 AM in a hot sweat, convinced the gremlins under your bed are actually your P&L numbers whispering, “Are you really in control?”

Or maybe you've felt that unmistakable prickle on the back of your neck when the board starts shifting uncomfortably in their seats, ready to discuss “leadership strategy” (a.k.a. “Are you still the right fit for this?”).

Welcome to the CEO life in 2025—where the stakes are high, the expectations are endless, and tenure is, well… shorter than ever.

business leader being hounded by nightmare work monsters

🚨 The Bad News: CEOs Are on the Brink

⏳ CEO tenure is shrinking.

A recent study found that CEO turnover is at its highest in nearly two decades, with average tenures dropping year-on-year.

Retail and consumer industries are especially brutal, where CEOs rarely last long enough to see the impact of their strategies.

Female CEOs? Their tenure is typically even shorter than their male counterparts. (So much for progress.)

Recent data paints a sobering picture: the average tenure for outgoing CEOs in 2024 was 7.4 years. Delving deeper:

Internal vs. External Hires: Internal CEO hires enjoyed longer tenures, averaging 8.7 years, while their external counterparts averaged 7.3 years.
Gender Disparities: Female CEOs faced shorter tenures, averaging 5.9 years, compared to 7.6 years for male CEOs.

😩 Burnout isn’t just creeping in—it’s taking over.

The pressure cooker environment has tangible consequences. A 2024 survey revealed that 36% of managers reported significant stress and burnout. And this isn’t just a personal problem—it’s a business one.

Furthermore, signs of burnout are becoming more prevalent, with 63% of UK employees exhibiting symptoms like exhaustion and disengagement, up from 51% two years prior.

The financial implications are staggering. Poor mental health among employees is costing UK employers £51 billion annually in lost productivity, missed opportunities, and quiet quitting.

📉 Board and stakeholder pressure is relentless.

Investors want growth, teams want clarity, and you’re stuck in the middle, firefighting through a market that just won’t sit still. Political instability, supply chain chaos, and inflationary pressures mean you’re expected to deliver consistent revenue grow simultaneously cutting costs and streamlining operations. Oh, and don’t forget—you’re also responsible for maintaining an innovative, engaged, and high-performing company culture. Easy, right?

The reality? Many CEOs feel like they’re running just to stand still, with no real breathing space to step back, reflect, and actually lead.

🛠 The Good News: You Can Take Back Control (Without Burning Out)

If any of this is hitting a little too close to home, here’s the deal: there’s another way.

✅ Rewire Leadership for Long-Term Success Let’s strip out the noise and refocus on what really moves the dial. I help CEOs and leadership teams build sustainable strategies that drive growth without the constant firefighting.

✅ Turn Burnout into Breakthroughs If you’re exhausted, your team probably is too. I’ll help you spot the warning signs, implement preventative strategies, and create an environment where both you and your people thrive.

✅ Culture & People: The Game-Changer Your business is only as strong as the people in it. If your team is disengaged, defensive, or stuck in survival mode, performance will tank. I help companies transform culture from a liability into a competitive advantage.

✅ Practical, No-Nonsense Fixes Forget fluffy theory—this is about real solutions that work. Whether it’s improving decision-making, optimizing team structures, or cutting through boardroom politics, I’ll help you get unstuck, move forward, and regain control of your business (and your sanity).

So, What’s Keeping You Up at Night?

If you’re tired of waking up in a cold sweat, feeling like you’re carrying your business on your back, let’s talk.

Together, we’ll get your business (and your leadership) firing on all cylinders—without the burnout, boardroom battles, or bed-dwelling gremlins.

🚀 Let’s fix this. Reach out today. connect with me HERE or on linked in and lets book a time to chat when it suits you. 15 mins!

Im Sally Philip, The Business Mechanic, I’ve worked with CEOs just like you—leaders who are under pressure, balancing growth with sustainability, and looking for practical ways to navigate complex business landscapes.

-----------------------------------------------

In the process of writing this article I have utilised Chat GPT to consolidate facts and summarise the key statistics.

Sources

19 Employee Burnout Statistics in 2024 - Fit Small BusinessApril 17, 2024 — Stay updated in the latest employee burnout statistics in 2024 to gain valuable insight and create a healthier workplace.

28 Cool Leadership Stats 2024 [Business and the Workplace]March 12, 2024 — Leadership Burnout Stats 2024 Approximately 60% of leaders feel burned out by the end of the day. 44% of burned-out leaders are tempted to change companies—26% of those plan to leave the same year. On...

Workplace Wellbeing in 2024: Key Statistics & Studies - HarknMarch 7, 2024 — The vast majority of organisations want to do right by their people, and dedicate significant time, money and personnel to employee wellbeing. Yet prevalent wellbeing issues like burnout show no signs...

ITN Business -Workplace wellbeing: Exploring solutions for a ‘burnt-out nation’February 12, 2024 — As a new report reveals alarming statistics around work-related stress in the UK, one key message has emerged: Business leaders may need to reassess their wellness strategies in 2024, to put employee...

Spill | Employee mental health support- 64 workplace burnout statistics you need to know for 2024February 8, 2024 — The latest statistics on the impact of burnout on workplace mental health, the business cost of burnout, and effective ways to reduce burnout at work.

Inc.- Dying to Reach the Top? Research Shows Most CEOs Face Exhaustion ...February 7, 2024 — Research Shows Most CEOs Face Exhaustion, Burnout, and Even Early Death–but Small-Business Owners Don’t Studies also show the average small business owner is happier than the average employee.

The Official Board - The rise of first-time CEOs - The Official Board’s ReadsJanuary 31, 2024 — The report underscores a gender disparity in CEO tenures, revealing that women CEOs have shorter average tenures (5.0 years) compared to their male counterparts (8.0 years). The variation is striking...

russellreynolds.com- Global CEO Turnover Index | Russell Reynolds AssociatesIn 2024, the average tenure of outgoing CEOs was 7.4 years. However, there are some interesting nuances according to the CEO Turnover Index. Internal vs. external hires. Internal CEO hires had longer...

russellreynolds.com - The Transformation of the CEO | Russell Reynolds AssociatesHowever, the 2024 data reveals a significant improvement, with the gap closing to three years with the average tenure for women CEOs now 4.6 years compared to 7.6 for men CEOs. Particular markets high...