Burnout Prevention and Executive Resilience
Two-Day Strategic Course for C-Suite Executives
Course Overview
This advanced course is designed to equip C-suite executives with the knowledge, frameworks, and tools to identify, manage, and mitigate burnout—both in themselves and within their leadership teams. Burnout in the C-suite is a silent crisis with profound consequences for decision-making, organizational performance, and risk culture. Executives often face intense pressure, extended hours, and responsibility without reprieve. This program provides an evidence-based approach to building sustainable resilience and embedding wellness into leadership models.
Participants will explore the psychological, physiological, and cultural dimensions of burnout, as well as their implications for organizational governance, audit oversight, and ethical leadership. The course aligns with the Global Internal Audit Standards (2024), emphasizing the CAE’s role in promoting a culture of well-being and governance maturity.
Who Should Attend
Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operating Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Risk Officers, Chief Audit Executives, Board Directors and Executive Committee Members
Course Objectives
- Understand the neuroscience and systemic triggers of executive burnout
- Develop personal and institutional strategies for resilience and well-being
- Recognize the organizational signals of chronic stress and cultural erosion
- Embed wellness oversight within the board and audit committee agenda
- Align wellness and ethical leadership with the Global Internal Audit Standards
Best Practice Frameworks Referenced
- World Health Organization Burnout Guidelines
- ISO 45003 Psychological Health and Safety at Work
- OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises
- King IV Report on Corporate Governance
- Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors’ guidance on culture and tone at the top
Understanding Burnout in Executive Contexts
Session one: The Anatomy of Burnout in Executive Leadership
Focuses on the three dimensions of burnout as defined by global health authorities: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced accomplishment. Explores leadership blind spots and high-performance traps.
Session two: Organizational Drivers of Burnout and Risk Culture
Examines how toxic stress cultures, poor governance oversight, and blurred work-life boundaries lead to silent disengagement. Introduces the concept of organizational health audits and the role of CAEs in identifying cultural red flags.
Session three: The Cost of Burnout: Strategic and Operational Impacts
Discusses the implications for productivity, employee turnover, executive succession, and ethical lapses. Uses real case studies where burnout triggered leadership failures and risk oversight breakdowns.
Session four: Self-Leadership, Boundaries, and Resilience Models
Introduces sustainable self-management frameworks. Includes micro-recovery techniques, energy budgeting, and boundary-setting for high-performing executives.
Mission-critical outcome: Each participant will complete a personal burnout risk profile and draft an executive resilience plan aligned to organizational performance demands.
Institutional Strategies and Ethical Oversight
Session one: Embedding Wellness in Governance, Audit, and Strategy
Explores how C-suite executives can lead cultural transformation by integrating wellness metrics into board packs, internal audit dashboards, and strategic reviews. Highlights alignment with the 2024 Global Internal Audit Standards and their emphasis on ethics, governance culture, and assurance activities.
Session two: Oversight Tools for Boards and Audit Committees
Focuses on the role of chief audit executives and board members in evaluating the adequacy of wellness policies, grievance structures, and psychological safety mechanisms. Participants will review a sample internal audit report covering burnout and risk culture.
Session three: Rebuilding Executive Identity and Leadership Stamina
Addresses the deeper psychological recovery from burnout. Introduces renewal frameworks that integrate purpose, legacy, and leadership self-awareness for long-term sustainability.
Session four: Simulation: Executive Risk Culture Breakdown
A guided case simulation where participants respond to a fictitious ethical breakdown caused by leadership fatigue, governance failure, and cultural silence. The debrief emphasizes crisis recovery, internal audit escalation, and stakeholder transparency.