Leading During Burnout
Effective leaders cultivate environments where psychological safety, workload balance, and open communication are prioritized.
Do you know how to lead a team member through burnout?
My Role
LX Designer
Audience
Frontline Leaders
Project Type
E-Learning Course
Duration
10 minutes
Problem
Burnout is a growing concern in today’s fast-paced work environments, and managers are not always equipped to respond effectively. When a team member like Matt begins to show signs of burnout, managers may struggle to initiate meaningful conversations, or create a psychologically safe space for recovery. The result? Trust erodes, performance declines, and retention risks increase.
Without the right tools and mindset, even well-intentioned leaders can miss the opportunity to support their teams in a way that fosters resilience and trust.
Tools Used
Articulate Storyline 360
I choose Storyline as the development tool for my e-learning module because it offers a robust set of features that elevate learner engagement through interactive design..
Solution
I wanted to create an e-learning course where leaders could practice having difficult conversations with team members in a safe environment. One where they could make mistakes, see the consequences play out, and learn from them, without any real-world risk to the relationship or the employee.
This course was designed to empower managers with the skills and awareness needed to navigate burnout conversations with empathy and effectiveness. Through scenario-based learning, the course guides the learner in:
Initiating trust-building conversations that prioritize psychological safety
Responding with empathy and support rather than judgment or avoidance
Creating a sustainable action plan that supports Matt's well-being and re-engagement
By placing the learner in a realistic leadership scenario, the course bridges the gap between theory and practice. It encourages reflection, emotional intelligence, and the development of interpersonal skills that are essential for modern leadership. This safe-to-fail approach draws on Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle—learners act, observe the outcome, reflect on what happened, and adjust their approach, building real confidence before they're in the actual conversation.
Microsoft Word
Before jumping into development with Storyline, I used Microsoft Word. This step was essential for planning and organizing the learning experience.
A Look Inside the Design
As part of my commitment to honoring client trust and proprietary content, I'm unable to share the full course I developed for Development Dimensions International (DDI). The materials are protected under confidentiality agreements and internal use policies.
Here's a short glimpse into the design choices behind it.
Design Highlights
As part of my commitment to honoring client trust and proprietary content, I'm unable to share the full course I developed for Development Dimensions International (DDI). The materials are protected under confidentiality agreements and internal use policies.
Here's a short glimpse into the design choices behind it.
Practicing in a Safe Environment
Leaders shouldn't learn how to handle a hard conversation by having it wrong with a real employee first.
Choose an approach with Matt, see how he responds — no real-world consequence
Choose wrong, try again — mistakes aren't dead ends
Grounded in Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle
Interactivity
What Would You Say? supports self-directed learning and active participation.
Image interaction — explore content visually, build autonomy
Reflects Knowles' Andragogy — learner control, relevance, experience
Feedback
Every moment of feedback was built to be supportive, specific, and actionable.
Automated quiz responses reinforce retrieval
Scenario-based feedback encourages reflection and correction
Let’s Connect
If you're interested in seeing more examples of how I apply learning theory to design, feel free to reach out. I’d love to share additional projects and insights from my work as a Learning Experience Designer.
www.linkedin.com/in/marilu-oliva/