How to Deal with Burnt-Out Leaders Who Have Become Bullies in the Movement?
A Patreon exclusive on abuse, criticism, & repair.
Something that has become apparent to me is that many people in pretty much any environment, whether we are talking about a company or grassroots movement, feel overextended and exhausted. I have written about this before (see Join A Movement That Takes Care of You), and it's a common problem in our society. One cannot go for long without hearing talk of burnout and overwork.
In many ways, this can be compounded in volunteer or activist spaces where you are providing labor for free. If you are not careful, the allure of doing "good" can leave you exhausted and disillusioned. This effect happens to almost everyone in "the movement" who does not know how to establish firm boundaries or, as we will be discussing today, has to deal with leaders who are exhausted and don't know how to regulate their emotions.
The problem
There is a particular type of leader who is stunted emotionally. They have overloaded themselves with "the work," and for months, maybe years, have established fewer and fewer boundaries with their issue or organization of choice. Activism is their life, and they do not know how to compartmentalize it. And so when conflict arises, they…
