Stop Spinning, Start Steering: A Real Reset by a Real Leader

When it feels like the show's running you, what's your move? There’s only so much reacting and damage control a person can take before your best intentions buckle under the weight of constant demands. How can you stop letting chaos call the shots and start leading on your own terms? Here’s how one HR executive did just that.

The Reality: Executive Overwhelm Is the Norm

Did you know that 56% of leaders hit burnout last year, and nearly half of organizations lost at least half their leadership teams? If you feel like you’re drowning, you’re in good company. Over 60% of executives report high stress and anxiety on a regular basis. Leadership has become unsustainable for many.

I recently worked with an experienced HR leader managing a remote, global team. The job looked ideal on paper. In practice, it was a pressure cooker. Isolation crept in. Anxiety simmered. His days blurred into endless whack-a-mole, putting out fires, juggling Slack messages, and wondering when actual work would happen.

Maybe some of this rings a bell. You’re always “on,” but rarely present. Delegation feels like handing someone your parachute, so you keep everything and drown in tasks. You’re stuck between keeping everyone happy and actually leading. Guilt and frustration show up after every tough decision.

Let’s not pretend otherwise. The grind is real. But so is the exit.

The Turning Point

This leader didn’t have a single lightbulb moment. He made a handful of small, intentional changes.

  1. He started with daily brain dumps at the end of each workday, a practice shown to boost clarity and reduce overwhelm for leaders. Fifteen minutes to clear out the mental noise. No skipping.

  2. He added micro-habits: a midday walk, evening yoga. Not exactly front-page news, but these small moves rebuilt his energy faster than any triple espresso. Consistency, not intensity, is the secret.

  3. He gave every major project the “Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan” treatment. Suddenly, priorities became doable. This WOOP framework is an evidence-based method for turning intentions into action by linking obstacles to concrete plans.

Mindset, Rewired

He ditched the old story: “I have to finish everything today.” His new line: “I choose what matters most.” It was not comfortable, but change rarely is. He started asking, “What’s the hidden opportunity in this friction?” He named his emotions, felt them, and used them as fuel. He replaced catastrophizing with curiosity.

The Leadership Upgrade

With the basics in place, he raised his game.

He stopped swooping in to rescue everyone. Instead, he’d ask, “What’s your proposed solution?” The team finally stepped up.

He made “no” a strategic tool. It wasn’t personal. It protected his focus, and people respected the boundary.

He built influence quietly. No grandstanding. He mapped out stakeholders, anticipated pushback, and framed ideas so everyone could win.

The Results? Night and Day

His words, not mine:

  • 60% less firefighting. More calm, less chaos.

  • 80% drop in evening work. Deep work blocks, no notifications, and real evenings off.

  • Promotion in sight. He now says, “I enable X outcome by Y,” instead of just “I’m technically competent.”

  • Emotional resilience. “I surprise myself. Conflict now feels like data, not disaster.”

What’s In It for You?

Here’s what sticks from his experience:

  • Clarity beats hustle. Set up how you delegate and prioritize, or you’ll drown in decisions.

  • Energy isn’t a bonus. It’s your strategy. Protect it with small habits and strict time boundaries.

  • Framing matters. Call problems “interesting challenges” and see what changes.

  • Legitimacy isn’t a gift. You claim it. Start acting like the leader you want to be. Others will catch on.

These strategies aren’t just for HR. I’ve seen founders, engineers, tech and healthcare execs, among others, use micro-habits and WOOP to reclaim their time, sharpen their focus, and finally get their evenings back.

If you’re waiting for permission, you’ll be waiting a long time. Lead.