Raise a Colleague's Burnout with Care

This template is for a manager or team lead who notices burnout signals in a colleague who is still performing but clearly struggling. It fits a real check-in where the goal is not to diagnose burnout, but to name observable changes, express concern, and agree on one practical adjustment. The scenario is specific to a high performer who is in denial, so the conversation has some resistance. It is not meant for a formal performance review or a disciplinary conversation.

A manager, team lead, skip-level leader, or peer mentor can run it, depending on who would realistically have the conversation. The learner should be the person with enough trust and responsibility to raise the concern. If you are using it in training, a facilitator can assign the persona and score the attempt against the rubric criteria. It also works well for new managers practicing their first burnout check-in.

Use it when you see a pattern, not as a one-off reaction to a single late night. In practice, that means repeated signs such as missed breaks, flat tone, small mistakes, or a change in temperament over several weeks. The template helps the learner practice a timely intervention before the situation becomes a leave issue or a performance problem. It is useful for both early warning conversations and follow-up check-ins after workload changes.

Ad-hoc conversations often stay vague: 'How are you doing?' or 'You seem stressed.' This template forces the learner to use specific observations, a supportive tone, and one concrete next step, which makes the conversation more actionable. The scored rubric also helps the learner see whether they actually reduced defensiveness and secured a commitment. That makes it better for deliberate practice than improvising without feedback.

The learner should not argue or label her as burned out. Instead, they should reflect what they have observed, acknowledge her effort, and invite a small adjustment that does not require her to admit a diagnosis. For example, the conversation can focus on workload, breaks, or support for the next week. The goal is to keep the door open and reduce overload, not to win a debate.

Yes. You can swap in a different persona name, workload pattern, or team context while keeping the same learner objective and rubric. For example, the same structure can fit a product manager, nurse, account executive, or analyst with role-specific stressors. The key is to keep the situation concrete so the learner has something real to respond to.

The most common mistakes are leading with a label, sounding accusatory, or jumping straight to solutions before showing empathy. Learners also often overtalk, make the conversation about their own discomfort, or fail to ask for a clear next step. This template helps them practice a calmer opening, a specific concern, and a realistic support offer. It also surfaces whether they can hold the line if the persona gets defensive.

Yes. It connects naturally to feedback conversations, workload management, psychological safety, and manager one-on-ones. It also pairs well with templates about difficult feedback, conflict de-escalation, and supporting performance without overstepping. If you are building a leadership curriculum, this scenario can sit alongside coaching, delegation, and boundary-setting practice.