The Fall Energy Shift
Don’t wait until December to ask how people are doing.
There’s something about October.
Summer vacations are behind us. The days are getting shorter. Year-end targets are getting closer. And that fresh September “back to business” energy can start wearing thin.
This is often when teams quietly shift from busy to depleted.
The work is still getting done. Meetings are still happening. Deadlines are still being met.
But energy changes.
As leaders, we tend to notice burnout when it becomes obvious—when performance drops, patience disappears or someone finally says, “I can’t keep doing this.”
What if we checked in earlier?
October is a good time to ask your team a simple question:
“What would make the next ten weeks more manageable?”
The answer might be clearer priorities. Fewer meetings. Help with a particular project. A deadline that can move. Or simply permission to say that the workload has become too much.
You may not be able to remove every pressure.
But knowing where the pressure is building gives you a chance to do something about it.
Don’t wait for burnout to become visible before you start looking for it.
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