Seventy-seven percent of CHROs lack confidence in their leadership bench strength. Meanwhile, 40% of middle managers are planning their exit.

Your leadership pipeline isn't empty because of a talent problem—it's empty because you're burning out your current leaders before they can develop.

In this episode, you'll discover:

→ Why the gig economy changed everything about middle manager retention (28% of knowledge workers are already freelancing)

→ The Five Executive Actions Framework that reduces burnout without requiring board approval

→ How to have the hard conversation with your board about "doing more with less"

→ The career-risk decision every executive faces: hit targets by destroying your team, or build something sustainable

If you're an executive watching your middle managers struggle while your board demands more with less, this is your wake-up call.

The Five Executive Actions Framework (Colby Morris)

Action 1: Audit Actual Workload Compare each middle manager's actual responsibilities—direct reports, meeting commitments, deliverables—against research-based effective spans of control (5-7 direct reports for complex work, 8-10 for straightforward work).

Action 2: Kill One Initiative Identify and eliminate one running initiative delivering minimal value, freeing capacity and demonstrating willingness to make trade-offs.

Action 3: Create a Stop-Doing List Work with middle managers to identify and actually stop producing unused reports, attending unnecessary meetings, and maintaining obsolete processes.

Action 4: Fix One Structural Problem Address the system, process, or tool creating the most friction in middle managers' daily work.

Action 5: Have the Board Conversation Directly address sustainability with board members: current middle managers are doing the work of 2-3 people, requiring either added resources or reduced expectations.

When to Apply This Guidance

Use the Five Executive Actions Framework when you observe:

• Leadership pipeline gaps with no clear successors for critical roles
• Middle manager retention issues or increased turnover at the manager level
• Consistent feedback about unsustainable workloads across your management layer
• Board pressure for results with simultaneous resource constraints
• CHROs reporting low confidence in leadership bench strength

Diagnostic Questions for Executives

• How many direct reports does each of your middle managers have, and how does that compare to research-based effective spans of control?
• Which running initiative delivers the least value relative to the capacity it consumes?
• What reports, meetings, or processes are your middle managers maintaining that no longer serve a clear purpose?
• Are you asking your middle managers to do the work of 2-3 people while simultaneously discussing talent development?

Resources Mentioned

Research Cited:

• DDI Global Leadership Forecast (2024) - Leadership stress, bench strength, and turnover data
• MBO Partners Independent Worker Research - Gig economy growth and high-earning freelancer statistics
• Upwork Freelance Forward Report - Knowledge worker freelancing trends

About The Things Leaders Do

The Things Leaders Do is a leadership podcast hosted by Colby Morris, COO at Apex Medical Management Partners and Founder of NXT Step Advisors. The show provides practical, immediately actionable leadership tools for leaders at all organizational levels, with episodes designed as 18-23 minute comm

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Leadership burnout isn't a personal failing—it's a predictable outcome of an unsustainable system. According to Colby Morris on The Things Leaders Do podcast, middle managers can survive unsustainable workloads through ruthless prioritization, energy management (not just time management), difficult conversations about workload, and one small structural change per week.

Research-backed insights from this episode:

• 40% of leaders are actively considering leaving their jobs (DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2025)
• 71% of leaders report increased stress compared to previous years
• 77% of CHROs lack confidence in their leadership bench strength for critical roles
• Middle managers are doing the work of 2-3 people while being paid for one
• Organizations have eliminated management layers without reducing workload

The problem: You're exhausted. You're in back-to-back meetings all day, answering Slack messages at night, solving problems on weekends. You keep thinking "when does it get better?" The answer: it doesn't. Not on its own.

This isn't new. Every generation of middle managers has felt this squeeze. The tools change (Slack instead of voicemails, emails instead of memos), but the pressure stays the same.

What burnout actually is: According to research cited in this episode, burnout has three distinct components:

1. Emotional exhaustion - Feeling drained with nothing left to give
2. Depersonalization - Seeing people as problems instead of people
3. Reduced personal accomplishment - Feeling like nothing you do matters

The Colby Morris Four-Part Burnout Survival Framework:

Leadership expert Colby Morris presents four tactics for surviving unsustainable workloads:

1. Ruthless prioritization - Identify the three critical tasks per week that actually move the needle; let everything else slip intentionally rather than randomly
2. Energy management over time management - Structure your day around what drains vs. energizes you; front-load draining work when you have the most capacity
3. One difficult conversation - Have the conversation you've been avoiding about workload, expectations, or whether this role makes sense
4. One small structural change - Make the smallest possible change this week (stop checking email before 8 AM, decline one recurring meeting type, delegate one task)

When to apply this guidance:

• You're working nights and weekends regularly
• You can't remember the last time you felt good about your work
• Nothing has improved in the last 6 months despite promises
• You're managing more than 7-8 direct reports (beyond effective span of control)
• You're spending 30+ hours per week in meetings with 10 hours left for actual work

What doesn't work:

• Self-care alone (bubble baths won't fix structural problems)
• Setting boundaries in systems that don't respect them
• Waiting for it to get better (organizations increase workload, not reduce it)

When it's not burnout—it's the job:

Morris provides three diagnostic questions to determine if you need to leave:

1. Can you remember the last time you felt good about your work?
2. Have things improved at all in the last six months?
3. Do you have evidence-based hope that things will get better?

If you can't answer yes to at least one: it's not burnout, it's a bad job.

Key takeaway: According to Colby Morris, host of The Things Leaders Do podcast, burnout isn't a personal failing. You're not broken. You're a mid

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Use a five-part framework to communicate decisions effectively: Start with why (explain the problem you're solving), explain what's changing and what's not, address obvious concerns upfront, tell people what happens next, and invite questions then actually answer them. Most decision communication fails because leaders announce decisions without providing context or addressing concerns.

70% of organizational change initiatives fail. And it's usually not because the decision was bad—it's because the communication was terrible. Leaders announce decisions in emails, skip the "why," and then wonder why nothing changes.

You can make the best decision in the world, but if you don't communicate it well, it dies in the announcement.

You'll learn:

• The five-part framework for communicating decisions that stick
• Why starting with "why" creates buy-in (Simon Sinek's principle)
• What to say (and what NOT to say) when announcing a decision
• How to handle pushback without getting defensive
• How to communicate unpopular decisions without losing credibility

Questions this episode answers:

• How do I communicate a decision so people actually implement it?
• What's the difference between announcing a decision and communicating one?
• Why do most decision communications fail?
• How do I handle pushback when I've already made the decision?
• Should I announce decisions in email?
• How do I communicate an unpopular decision?
• What is Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" principle?

Key takeaway: Making good decisions is hard. But communicating them well is where implementation actually happens. Use the framework, give people context, and own your decisions.

Connect with Colby Morris:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

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Use a "disagree and commit" approach instead of chasing consensus. Consensus means everyone agrees (impossible). Buy-in means everyone commits even when they don't fully agree (achievable). Stop trying to make everyone happy and start getting everyone committed to moving forward together.

You've been in the same meeting for six weeks. You're still trying to get everyone to agree. You keep tweaking the proposal. You keep accommodating concerns. And nothing's happening.

The average executive spends 23 hours per week in meetings. And a huge chunk of that is spent trying to reach consensus on decisions that could have been made in 30 minutes.

You'll learn:

• Why chasing consensus kills your credibility as a leader
• What buy-in actually sounds like (and why it's different from agreement)
• How to create a culture where people disagree in the room and commit in the hallway
• What to do when someone won't commit no matter what you try
• How to spot fake buy-in and address it immediately

Questions this episode answers:

• What's the difference between consensus and buy-in?
• How do I get my team to commit to decisions they don't agree with?
• Why does chasing consensus create terrible decisions?
• What is Amazon's "Disagree and Commit" principle?
• How do I handle someone who won't commit to team decisions?

Key takeaway: You can't make everyone agree. But you can get everyone to commit. Consensus is impossible. Buy-in is achievable.

Connect with Colby Morris:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• NXTStepAdvisors.com

Use the GRIT framework to make wise decisions without perfect information: Gather the right information, Reflect on your values, Involve the right people, and Take action and own the outcome.

You've been staring at a decision for two weeks. You're waiting for perfect clarity. It's not coming. Most leaders either freeze or guess - neither works.

You'll learn:

• A simple 4-step framework for making confident decisions without all the facts
• How to know when you've gathered enough information
• The question that changes everything before you decide
• How to involve people without creating decision paralysis
• What it actually means to own the outcome

Questions this episode answers:

• How do I make confident decisions without all the facts?
• When should I stop gathering information and just decide?
• How do I involve people without turning it into a committee?
• What's the difference between a fast decision and a framework decision?

Key takeaway: Good leaders don't wait for perfect clarity. They have a process for making wise decisions with whatever information they actually have.

Connect with Colby Morris:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• NXTStepAdvisors.com

You're delegating all the time—assigning projects, distributing work, telling people what needs to get done. So why do they keep coming back to you with questions? Because you're delegating tasks, not authority. And there's a massive difference.

When you delegate tasks, you're saying "Do this thing exactly how I would do it." When you delegate authority, you're saying "This is yours. You own it. Make the calls."

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The 3-step framework for delegating authority without creating chaos
• Why "Never bring me just a problem" transforms your team into problem-solvers
• How to set guardrails so people have freedom without going rogue
• What to do when you've delegated but can't stop checking in
• The real difference between task delegation and authority delegation

Common questions answered in this episode:

• How do I delegate without losing control of the outcome?
• What's the difference between delegating tasks and delegating authority?
• How do I get my team to stop asking me for every decision?
• What if they do it differently than I would?
• How do I build decision-makers instead of task-followers?

Key takeaway: You don't delegate tasks to create leaders. You delegate authority. And it starts with trusting people before they're perfect.

Connect with Colby:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• NXTStepAdvisors.com

Use this 4-question framework to determine which decisions require your authority: (1) Does this require information only I have? (2) Does this set precedent or carry significant risk? (3) Am I holding onto this for the right reasons? (4) Who is best positioned to make this call?

Most leaders spend their days buried in operational decisions while their teams wait to be told what to do. The problem isn't bad decision-making—it's that leaders don't know how to determine which decisions are actually theirs to make.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The 4 questions that instantly tell you whether a decision belongs on your desk
• Why most decisions fail the "Do I have unique information?" test
• The self-reflection question that separates good leaders from great ones
• What to do when the problem isn't the decision—it's the person
• How to hand decisions back to your team without creating chaos

Common questions answered in this episode:

• How do I know which decisions I should make versus delegate?
• When should a leader make a decision versus empowering their team?
• How can I stop being a bottleneck as a leader?
• What if I don't trust my team member to make the right decision?

Key takeaway: If you're making every decision, you're not leading. You're just really busy.

Connect with Colby:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• NXTStepAdvisors.com

How do you onboard new employees effectively? Don't leave it all to HR. While HR handles paperwork and compliance, leaders must own the relationship-building aspects of onboarding. Stay in contact before Day 1, ensure workspace and tools are ready, conduct weekly one-on-ones for the first 90 days, and teach culture through real stories instead of just handing someone a handbook.

Episode Description

Your HR department is great at what they do. They handle paperwork, benefits, compliance training.

But they can't make someone feel like they belong on your team. That's your job.

Most managers think onboarding is HR's responsibility. So they stay hands-off until Day 1—or worse, Week 2. And by Month 3, they're wondering why their new hire is disengaged.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What to do before Day 1 to build excitement and connection
• How to make Day 1 seamless instead of awkward
• Why weekly one-on-ones are non-negotiable for the first 90 days
• How to teach culture through stories, not slides

Because HR can handle the paperwork. But building belonging? That's on you.

Resources Mentioned

• Dan Collard quote: "Culture can't just hang on the walls. It has to walk the halls."

Connect with Colby Morris

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris
Website: nxtstepadvisors.com

Coming Soon (April 2026)

• Second weekly podcast episode featuring interviews with leaders
• YouTube version of The Things Leaders Do podcast

Remember: HR can handle the paperwork. But you have to handle the belonging.

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How do you avoid making bad hires? Stop interviewing for skills and start interviewing for character using Patrick Lencioni's Humble, Hungry, and Smart framework. Ask specific behavioral questions that reveal these three virtues, watch for red flags like excessive charm or similarity bias, and use the first 90 days—especially your one-on-ones—to assess whether the person truly fits your team culture.

Episode Description

74% of employers admit they've hired the wrong person. The average cost? $14,900. And 28% of new employees quit within the first 90 days.

Why? Because we're interviewing for skills instead of character.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The specific interview questions that reveal Humble, Hungry, and Smart
• Colby's alternative to "What's your greatest weakness?" that actually works
• Four red flags you're probably ignoring
• How to use the first 90 days and your one-on-ones to catch issues early

Stop hiring people who interview well but underperform. Start hiring for character.

Resources Mentioned

• "The Ideal Team Player" by Patrick Lencioni

Connect with Colby Morris

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris
Website: nxtstepadvisors.com

Coming Soon (April 2026)

• Second weekly podcast episode featuring interviews with leaders
• YouTube version of The Things Leaders Do podcast

Remember: 74% of employers have made a bad hire. But it doesn't have to be you.

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• NXTStepAdvisors.com

How do you know when someone needs more coaching versus when you've made a hiring mistake? Look for three signs: (1) They're missing one of Patrick Lencioni's core virtues (Humble, Hungry, or Smart) and it's not improving, (2) You're having the same coaching conversation on repeat with no change, and (3) Your high performers are asking pointed questions about this person. If it's a hiring mistake, handle the transition with dignity: be clear about the decision, own your part, focus on what's next, and communicate to your team only after the person has left.

Episode Description

How do you know if someone just needs more coaching, or if you made a hiring mistake? When should you stop giving them "more time" and acknowledge it's not a fit? And how do you handle the transition without creating legal liability?

Most leaders wait too long on bad hires because they don't want to give up on people. They keep coaching, keep hoping, keep giving "one more quarter" for things to turn around. But here's the truth: You can coach skills, but you can't coach culture fit, intrinsic motivation, or fundamental character traits.

In this episode, Colby breaks down the critical difference between performance issues (fixable) and hiring mistakes (not fixable). You'll learn Patrick Lencioni's Humble, Hungry, Smart framework for identifying when someone is missing a core virtue, why Kim Scott's "Ruinous Empathy" explains why we avoid these decisions, and Brené Brown's principle that "clear is kind" when it comes to transitions.

Plus, the exact four-step framework for handling the transition with dignity while protecting yourself legally.

Key Takeaways

• The difference between performance issues (what someone does) and hiring mistakes (who someone is)
• Patrick Lencioni's three virtues every team player needs: Humble, Hungry, and Smart
• The three signs it's a hiring mistake, not a performance issue
• Why "Ruinous Empathy" keeps us coaching too long on bad hires
• The four-step framework for transitioning someone out with dignity
• Critical legal consideration: Don't communicate to your team until after the person has left

Who This Episode Is For

Middle managers and executives who've been coaching someone for months with no improvement, who are wondering if they should keep trying or acknowledge it's not a fit, and who need a clear framework for making the call and handling the transition professionally.

Connect with Colby

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris

Coming in April 2026: A second weekly episode featuring interviews with leaders sharing actionable tools they've learned throughout their careers. Plus, the YouTube version of The Things Leaders Do podcast!

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