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Burnout from the Top – A Story of Falling, Learning, and Rising Again
Burnout from the Top – A Story of Falling, Learning, and Rising Again
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Burnout from the Top – A Story of Falling, Learning, and Rising Again
- 1. Burnout from theTop – A Story of Falling, Learning, and Rising Again
- 2. Tom Erik RozmaraFrydenlund CEO Novacare AS - Nova Consulting Group
- 3. 25 years indifferent leadership roles
- 4. Leadership is oftenseen as a role of strength and resilience, but what happens when the pressure becomes too much?
- 5. I am sharingmy personal story of burnout as a leader – the moment I realized I could no longer keep going – and the long road back to balance and well-being.
- 6. • How tospot early warning signs of burnout. • Practical steps for recovery and long-term resilience. • Tips for maintaining balance. Key takeaways!
- 9.
- 10. But you don´tlook sick?
- 11. Some characteristics! • Chronicfatigue, even after adequate sleep • Lack of motivation and enthusiasm for work • Difficulty concentrating and reduced productivity • Change in personality
- 12. Some more characteristics!! •More and more irritated with mood swings • Social withdrawal and isolation • Feeling constantly stressed and overwhelmed • Frequent physical complaints such as headaches or stomach issues, sleep problems
- 13. Some common causes •Chronic workload pressure • Lack of control • Unclear job expectations • Poor work-life balance • Inadequate recognition
- 14. Some common causes •Toxic work culture • Isolation • Perfectionism • Misaligned values • Lack of progress
- 15. Amundsen: Victory awaitshim who has everything in order – luck people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time, this is called bad luck. Scott: Our luck with weather is preposterous…It is more than our share of ill-fortune… How great may be the element of luck
- 16. - We cannotpredict the future, but we can create it! - Are you an Amundsen or a Scott?
- 19. The World HealthOrganization defines burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
- 20. The 5 stagesof burnout 1. Honeymoon phase • High energy, optimism, commitment 2. Onset of stress • Irritability, anxiety, disrupted sleep 3. Chronic Stress • Persistent fatigue, withdrawal, physical symptoms 4. Burnout • Apathy, detachment, chronic sadness 5. Habitual burnout • Severe fatigue, chronic depression, feels permanent “Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow erosion of the soul.”
- 21. Statistics from Norway Workrelated health problems, occupational accidents and sick live in % 2006 2016 Feels physically exhausted when coming home from work 32 33 Feels mentally exhausted when coming home from work 14 19 Had continuous sickleave for more than two weeks the last year 18 15 Went to work despite being sick four times or more the last year 22 13 Pain in the neck, shoulders or upper back caused by work 11 10 Source: Statistics Norway
- 22. Back in business,but then what?
- 23. Take control ofyour calendar!
- 24. Block off focustime in your calendar
- 25.
- 26. If you’re tired,it’s absolutely okay to cancel a meeting and reschedule it for later!
- 27. Is my presencenecessary in this meeting?
- 28. Everyday life tips! •Set realistic goals • Stay active
- 29. Everyday life tips! •Prioritize sleep and rest • Prioritize exercise
- 30. Everyday life tips! •Learn to say no • Maintain balance
- 31.
- 32. Is your workplacea safe place for your collegues? Psychological safety
- 33. It's about buildinga culture... • where people are at the center • where people trust each other and dare to disagree • where people dare to speak up with critical input that is welcomed as a starting point for growth • where people cheer each other on and work towards shared goals
- 34. The 20 MileMarch
- 35.
- 38. Blogg = http://frytom.org LinkedIn= https://www.linkedin.com/in/frydenlund/ Talerlisten = https://talerlisten.no/profil/tom-erik-frydenlund/ Goodreads = https://www.goodreads.com/frytom I am also on FB, Insta, Hudd & Bluesky Thanks to Dall-E, Pexels and iStock for pictures.
Editor's Notes
- #1 Welcome to my talk — this is not a success story in the traditional sense, but a story of falling, learning, and finding my way back. My personal story. I hope this honest reflection will resonate with some of you — and maybe even help someone avoid hitting the wall.
- #2 I’m Tom Erik Frydenlund, currently CEO at Novacare a part of Nova Consulting Group My career has been diverse — and intense. It’s included leadership in many forms, but also the pressure that comes with it.
- #3 I've had a varied career — from the Armed Forces and Police to IT consultancy and leadership roles. This slide is a snapshot of my path, but what it doesn’t show is the personal cost of constantly pushing forward without pause. Leadership often demands a lot — and sometimes we don't realize the toll it's taking until it's too late
- #4 Leadership is often associated with strength, decisiveness, and resilience. But what happens when the weight becomes too heavy? I hit the wall — something I never thought would happen to me. I want to tell that story today and share the lessons I’ve learned.
- #5 Leadership is often associated with strength, decisiveness, and resilience. But what happens when the weight becomes too heavy? I hit the wall — something I never thought would happen to me. I want to tell that story today and share the lessons I’ve learned.
- #6 I want to share what I’ve learned — how to recognize burnout, how to recover, and how to build resilience. This isn’t just a story. It’s a guide. Something I wish I had seen before I hit the wall. Through this journey, I’ve learned to recognise critical warning signs of burnout, and I want to offer practical tips for leaders and consultants on how to protect themselves before it’s too late. My goal is to provide an honest reflection that others can relate to, along with actionable advice for preventing burnout and staying resilient in demanding roles.
- #7 And then… I hit the wall. Not figuratively — literally had to stop. Burnout forced me to change everything. But it was also a turning point. A brutal way of learning.
- #8 This is what literaly happend. I felt that something was wrong and put on a pulsbelt. It measured my heartrate to 235 beets. I called «legevakten» and they hurredly sent ambulance to pick me up.
- #9 Burnout doesn’t always look like what people expect. On the outside, I was functioning. Inside? I was exhausted, disillusioned, and disconnected. Burnout is invisible until it’s overwhelming — and sometimes we hide it even from ourselves. On the outside: smiling, delivering, showing up. On the inside: falling apart. And I didn’t want to admit it — especially not as a leader.
- #10 Burnout doesn’t always look like what people expect. On the outside, I was functioning. Inside? I was exhausted, disillusioned, and disconnected. Burnout is invisible until it’s overwhelming — and sometimes we hide it even from ourselves. Burnout is invisible. People couldn’t understand why I was struggling — I “looked fine.” That’s part of the danger. We learn to hide it — even from ourselves.
- #11 This is what literaly happend. I felt that something was wrong and put on a pulsbelt. It measured my heartrate to 235 beets. I called «legevakten» and they hurredly sent ambulance to pick me up.
- #12 This is what literaly happend. I felt that something was wrong and put on a pulsbelt. It measured my heartrate to 235 beets. I called «legevakten» and they hurredly sent ambulance to pick me up.
- #13 This is what literaly happend. I felt that something was wrong and put on a pulsbelt. It measured my heartrate to 235 beets. I called «legevakten» and they hurredly sent ambulance to pick me up.
- #14 This is what literaly happend. I felt that something was wrong and put on a pulsbelt. It measured my heartrate to 235 beets. I called «legevakten» and they hurredly sent ambulance to pick me up.
- #15 This metaphor is powerful. Amundsen prepared meticulously, pacing the journey. Scott relied more on luck and suffered. Burnout often comes from being a "Scott" — pushing hard when conditions are good and collapsing when they’re not. Success comes from consistency, balance, and preparation. Amundsen marched 20 miles every day. Scott went all in on the good days, and collapsed on the bad.
- #16 We can’t control the future — but we can shape it. So I had to ask: Do I want to live and lead like Amundsen or Scott?
- #18 Recovery wasn’t linear. It was messy, frustrating, and humbling. But it was worth it. And it gave me the chance to rebuild stronger and more sustainable.
- #19 Burnout isn’t weakness. It’s recognized as a legitimate syndrome. It’s caused by chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been managed. That’s the key — unmanaged stress
- #20 .
- #22 Recovery isn’t a straight line. I came back to work — but I had to approach things differently. The key is not just to recover, but to build resilience. Coming back was the first challenge. Staying healthy was the second. I didn’t want to repeat the same patterns. That meant changing how I worked and led.
- #23 One of the biggest lessons? Boundaries. For me, it started with time. I had to stop letting my calendar control me — and start using it as a tool to protect myself.
- #24 I block off “meetings” in my calendar. Thinking time. Focus time. Buffer time. Break time. Otherwise, someone else will fill every gap — and that’s a recipe for burnout.
- #25 Travel is time too! Don’t forget to block it in. Protecting your day from overload includes logistics and transitions.
- #26 It sounds simple, but it’s powerful: It’s okay to cancel a meeting. You don’t owe your energy to everyone all the time. Rescheduling is better than resenting.
- #27 Ask yourself this question before every meeting: “Do I really need to be there?” Freeing up your time means creating room for recovery, thinking, and quality presence.
- #28 This may sound like basic advice, but it's often the first we forget under pressure. Sleep, movement, saying no — these are foundational, not optional. Leadership is a marathon — and these are the habits that keep us going. These are the things I used to neglect — and now prioritize: Sleep, exercise, saying no, realistic goals. Sounds basic? That’s because it is. But it works.
- #29 This may sound like basic advice, but it's often the first we forget under pressure. Sleep, movement, saying no — these are foundational, not optional. Leadership is a marathon — and these are the habits that keep us going. These are the things I used to neglect — and now prioritize: Sleep, exercise, saying no, realistic goals. Sounds basic? That’s because it is. But it works.
- #30 This may sound like basic advice, but it's often the first we forget under pressure. Sleep, movement, saying no — these are foundational, not optional. Leadership is a marathon — and these are the habits that keep us going. These are the things I used to neglect — and now prioritize: Sleep, exercise, saying no, realistic goals. Sounds basic? That’s because it is. But it works.
- #31 If your team doesn’t feel safe, burnout spreads faster. People need to speak up, say no, make mistakes — without fear. Culture is everything. Leaders set the tone. Culture is critical. If people around you feel safe — to speak, to fail, to be human — they are far less likely to burn out. As leaders, creating this environment is one of the most powerful things we can do.
- #32 If your team doesn’t feel safe, burnout spreads faster. People need to speak up, say no, make mistakes — without fear. Culture is everything. Leaders set the tone. Culture is critical. If people around you feel safe — to speak, to fail, to be human — they are far less likely to burn out. As leaders, creating this environment is one of the most powerful things we can do.
- #33 If your team doesn’t feel safe, burnout spreads faster. People need to speak up, say no, make mistakes — without fear. Culture is everything. Leaders set the tone. Culture is critical. If people around you feel safe — to speak, to fail, to be human — they are far less likely to burn out. As leaders, creating this environment is one of the most powerful things we can do.
- #34 This concept changed my thinking. It’s about steady progress — not heroic sprints. Who do you want to be?
- #35 At the heart of it all — be human. Be real. Be yourself. It’s not weak. It’s powerful. The more honest we are, the more resilient we become. At the end of the day, authenticity is what connects us. I’ve chosen to be open about my experience — not because it’s easy, but because I know others are going through the same.
- #38 I share more thoughts, blogs, and content here. Reach out — I’d love to hear your stories or answer your questions. Let’s help each other stay human in high-pressure roles.
- #39 I've had a varied career — from the Armed Forces and Police to IT consultancy and leadership roles. This slide is a snapshot of my path, but what it doesn’t show is the personal cost of constantly pushing forward without pause. Leadership often demands a lot — and sometimes we don't realize the toll it's taking until it's too late
- #40 Test Dall-E. Lag bilde som reflekterer dette slide dekket om utbrenthet