When Leadership Becomes Self-Abandonment

The Quiet Cost of Serving Without a Compass

You can’t pour from an empty cup.

But in too many places, the ones running on fumes are the ones getting the most applause.

We don’t call it exhaustion.We call it hustle.We call it sacrifice.We call it “leading from the front.”

But some of the most celebrated leaders are the most silently broken.And their teams are modeling that same quiet collapse, believing that depletion is a prerequisite for worth.

We’ve mistaken burnout for bravery.Overextension for excellence.Collapse for commitment.

But service that costs you isn’t leadership.It’s self-abandonment.And no system built on martyrdom will ever be sustainable.