Episode 21: The Recharge Ripple Effect: Leading by Example Without Burning Out

Leaders set the tone—whether they realize it or not.

In this episode of Culture Secrets, Chellie Phillips explores the hidden leadership power of rest and renewal. When leaders are constantly overworked, overstretched, and overwhelmed, it sends a powerful message to their teams: burnout is the norm.

But what if we flipped that script?

You'll learn:

• Why intentional rest is a leadership strategy, not a luxury
• How modeling healthy habits can improve team morale and retention
• Signs you're leading from burnout instead of balance
• Small shifts you can make today to create a culture of sustainability

Want to keep your team energized, engaged, and motivated?
 Start by recharging yourself first.

🎧 Tune in now and discover how to model leadership that lasts.

Thanks for listening. Grab the book the podcast is based on at https://mybook.to/culturesecrets . Check out my website www.chelliephillips.com for more great content. Follow me on LinkedIn.

Episode Transcript

UNKNOWN (00:00):
Bye.

SPEAKER_00 (00:06):
If workplace culture is your jam, you're in the right
place.
Check out this episode ofCulture Secrets, the podcast
dedicated to creating workplaceswhere both employees and the
companies thrive.
Hey, everyone, and welcome backto Culture Secrets.
I'm your host, Shelley Phillips.
And if you're a leader, businessowner, or someone passionate
about workplace culture, thisshow's for you.

(00:28):
In today's episode, we'retackling a topic that doesn't
get nearly enough attention, howleaders can recharge and why
it's not just a Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

(01:02):
So today we're talking about howyou, as a leader, can build
recharge time into your daily,quarterly, and annual routines
to show up as your best self,not just for you, but for your
team.
And to make this even morepractical, we'll explore some
real-world examples of companiesthat are doing this well.
So let's be real.
Somewhere along the way, westarted glorifying burnout as a

(01:25):
badge of honor.
This always-on leader, the onewho always emails at midnight,
who powers through exhaustionlike a superhero.
But here's the thing.
That's not leadership.
It's self-destruction.
And the worst part, it tricklesdown.
Everyone watches what theirleaders do, not just what they
say.
So if you're constantly incrisis mode, never pausing to

(01:46):
breathe, guess what?
Your team is going to feel thatway too.
So let's break this down intothree simple ways leaders can
intentionally recharge and howthat impacts workplace culture.
Let's start with a dailyrecharge.
Leadership isn't just a aboutmaking big decisions.
It's about showing up everysingle day with clarity, energy,

(02:07):
and focus.
But when you're constantly in aproblem-solving mode, you're
operating on reaction and notintention.
That's why great builders buildin small daily habits that reset
their energy and mindset.
So what does this look like inpractice?
First, start the day withintention.
Maybe a short walk, meditation,journaling, whatever works for

(02:29):
you.
Take real breaks between me Finda personal hobby that has
nothing to do with work.
And finally, think about settingreal phone boundaries, like not
checking email first thing inthe morning or before bed.
A culture killer is a leader whois always on that sends the
message that rest equalsweakness.
This leads to employee burnout,disengagement, and resentment.

(02:53):
The culture builder is theleader who models work-life
balance, shows their team thatwell-being is a priority, and
creating a more inclusive, Andmy leadership tip on this is The

(03:32):
best leaders build in quarterlyreflection time.
They step away from the dailygrind to assess what's working
and what's not.
They ask themselves bigquestions about their leadership
and company culture.
They seek feedback fromemployees and mentors with
outside perspectives.
I once worked with a companythat introduced quarterly
leadership retreats.

(03:52):
It's where executives unpluggedfor a full day to reflect,
recalibrate, and strategize.
And guess what?
The impact was massive.
More clarity into So what's theculture killer?
And here's your leadership tipon this one.

(04:30):
Block off one day per quarter Sohere's the bottom line.
Culture isn't built frompolicies or slogans.
It's built from behavior.
Employees take their cues fromleadership.
When leaders prioritize theirwell-being and growth, it sends
a clear message.

(04:51):
Your energy and mental healthmatter.
It's okay to take breaks andrecharge.
And self-care isn't selfish.
It's essential for long-termsuccess.
When leaders neglect themselves,they're not selfish.
Employees feel they have to dothe same.
That's how you end up with aworkplace full of exhausted,
disengaged people.
So here's your leadership tip.
Your team will mimic yourbehavior.

(05:12):
When you prioritize yourself,you create a culture where
everyone feels valued withoutguilt.
So how do you build time intoyour leadership calendar?
So let's get real practicalabout this.
You can't just hope that you'llhave time to recharge.
You have to schedule it.
It's just like any otherbusiness priority.
So for a daily recharge, thinkabout adding 10 to 15 minutes in

(05:34):
the morning for intentionsetting.
Add a small diversion daily.
Get up and walk around theparking lot.
Walk around the office.
Take time for some reading, somejournaling, or meditation.
And then unplug at least an hourbefore bed.
Give your brain time to settle.
Get into that rest mode andfully recharge for the next day.
Now quarterly reflection.

(05:55):
Think about adding one full dayper quarter for you to step away
and assess your leadershipapproach ask yourself what's
working or what needs to changeand seek honest feedback from
your team and your leadershippeers and finally that annual
reset think of it as a largerpersonal retreat whether it's a
long weekend away or a couple ofdays during the week reflect on

(06:17):
your growth and set leadershipgoals for the next year By
introducing a mandatoryquarterly personal development
day, it could be a game changer.
Think if leaders had to taketime off for self-growth,
reading, or leadership training.
The result?
A huge shift in mindset orengagement.
So here's my challenge for you.

(06:39):
Start treating self-care as aleadership strategy and not a
luxury.
Remember that a burned outleader can't build a thriving
culture.
Be the example.
When you prioritize yourself,your team will feel empowered to
do the same.
If you're ready to build aculture where people, including
yourself, can thrive, be sure tocheck out my book, Culture

(06:59):
Secrets, and turn in for moreepisodes of Culture Secrets
Podcast.
And if today's episode spoke toyou, do me a favor.
Share it with a fellow leaderwho Until next time, remember, a
thriving workplace starts withthriving leadership.