Leadership Hangovers

You did it! You flew past every milestone and closed the deal/launched the campaign (Choose Your Own Adventure!). Everything you thought of as that far-off accomplishment or feat has just been nailed to the wall for the townspeople to see.

And instead of glory…

You just feel…

Empty.

You’re supposed to be celebrating, but your body wants silence and your brain wants to disappear. We’re talking full-on shutdown. It’s another piece of the world very few people want to talk about. The part where every big push costs you something, and the invoice always shows up later.

The hangover isn’t just physical. It’s emotional, operational, spiritual. It’s the fatigue that follows the version of you who had to be “on” for too long. It’s your nervous system coming down from a leadership binge. Too much pressure, too little rest.

As a leader, you have to learn to metabolize success and failure in almost identical fashion: quickly and quietly, and ideally with a smile. It’s just… unprocessed victories rot just like unprocessed losses. If you don’t give yourself space to reset, you start mistaking depletion for drive.

The first symptom of a leadership hangover is impatience. You can’t sit still. You start chasing new problems to avoid the quiet. Then comes cynicism… that looming dread that nothing is ever enough. And finally, ghosting. You’re there in meetings, but not really. You’re managing, not leading.

A burned-out leader just keeps pushing until the team burns with them.

Real leadership isn’t about momentum; it’s about stamina. The best ones know when to stop pouring and start refilling.

The cure isn’t another initiative; it’s a detox. Step away from the noise. Audit your inputs. Let the adrenaline drain before you flood yourself with new goals.

A healthy leader can push, recover, and return. If you’re exhausted after the latest win, don’t call it weakness. Call it maintenance. The hangover is proof that you gave a damn! The recovery is proof you learned how to stay human.

Don’t confuse energy with capacity, as your wins need recovery as much as your losses need reflection.