Something to watchWorkload & wellbeing
The #1 cause of burnout is not what you think
A 6-minute video on why burnout may have as much to do with impact as with workload
Why it’s worth your time
Working hard on things that don't seem to matter can be more draining than working hard on things that do. Liz Wiseman, a researcher, executive advisor and the author of Impact Players, argues that people often burn out less from too much work than from too little impact, and that pointing your effort at what the organization most needs can bring energy back. It's a useful lens, best held alongside research that also counts workload and fairness.
How to tell if you're burning out from lack of impact
- Watch the video.
Her central claim arrives within the first minute. Stay for the last two minutes, where she contrasts doing your job with doing the job that's needed and explains what she means by working where there's heat.
- Map your work against what matters most.
Write down the two or three things your company or team is most focused on this quarter. Then list your current projects and mark which ones connect to one of them. If none do, bring the list to your next 1:1.
Good moments for this: when you're tired in a way rest doesn't fixat the start of a quarterbefore a 1:1 about priorities
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
If the work is simply too much, a more meaningful version of too much may still be too much.
What might make this harder
Look for the link between what you already do and what leadership cares about, and make it visible. Asking your manager which of your tasks matters most to them is a good start.
Questions people ask
What does Liz Wiseman say causes burnout?
That people tend to burn out less from having too much work than from having too little impact. She argues the fix is often more impactful work, not just less of it.
What is an impact player?
Wiseman's term, borrowed from sports, for people whose contribution makes the whole team better and who move toward messy, uncertain problems instead of away from them. Her book Impact Players describes their habits.
Is burnout caused by workload?
Often in part. Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter's research names work overload as one of six main drivers, alongside lack of control, too little reward, a broken sense of community, unfairness and clashing values.
What it says, and how it holds up
It's easy to assume burnout comes from a workload that's simply too big, and Liz Wiseman's research points her elsewhere. In this Big Think+ short she describes how people talk about working hard on things that don't land or get noticed, as draining and demoralizing, and about work that matters and uses everything they've got, as energizing. Her advice is to stop asking only how to do less, and ask whether you're working on what your organization most needs. She calls that doing the job that's needed rather than just your job.
It's a useful lens with a clear limit. Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter, who have studied burnout for decades, describe six areas of mismatch between people and their jobs, of which workload is one, and they note that most fixes target individuals even though the evidence points mainly at the situation. Wiseman's point fits inside that picture rather than replacing it. If the problem is unfairness or a manager rather than meaning, the conversation to have is about the job itself, and sometimes about whether it's the right one.
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Picked by Truest and described in our own words. The original belongs to its creator. Last updated October 9, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.