The hidden cost of burnout
Few understand this better than Kevin Crombie, chief legal officer at TAQA, the Abu Dhabi energy and utilities group. Throughout his career, he has seen burnout play out time and again.
He recalls one colleague reaching breaking point: “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t look at my laptop or my screen. The clients won’t leave me alone. Everything is urgent, urgent, urgent.”
But Kevin is clear that burnout is not inevitable. With the right approach, sustained high performance can be achieved without sacrificing health or perspective.
What elite sport teaches us about high performance
High performance coach and former corporate litigator, Charlène Gisèle, experienced burnout early in her legal career. Her recovery shaped her philosophy: “Self-care is what we sacrifice first and neglect most. But well-being is the foundation on which sustainable success is built.”
Drawing on principles used in elite sport, she encourages professionals to adopt a “power up, power through, power down” rhythm—prioritizing rest, movement, sleep, nutrition, and breathwork. These habits help maintain energy and resilience under pressure, reflecting a growing interest in more sustainable ways of working.
Why well-being is now business-critical
For Ben Ward, head of A&O Shearman’s M&A/Corporate practice in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa—and a member of the firm’s global well-being advisory board—the issue is personal. After seeing a close family member experience burnout in silence, he committed to promoting healthier working practices across the firm and the wider legal sector.
For three consecutive years, A&O Shearman has hosted corporate well-being events in Abu Dhabi, exploring themes such as “Becoming a Corporate Athlete”, and participation continues to rise as organizations recognize the link between culture, capability, and long-term success.
As Ben puts it: “We perform at elite levels. But to do that, it needs to be sustainable. For many people, the opportunity to do inspiring and challenging work is the reason they join us in the first place.”
He is equally clear about the commercial benefits: “Businesses with a high-performing, sustainable workforce—free of churn, attrition, and burnout—will be the most successful.”
Clients increasingly expect this too. Over the past two years, Ben has seen growing interest in teams that prioritize well-being, not as an alternative to high performance but as the mechanism that enables it. He challenges the lingering perception that well-being signals reduced ambition, arguing that it enables people to perform at their best over the long term.
Jyoti Choitram, senior global well-being manager, reinforces this shift: “Workplace well-being isn’t just about resilience or benefits—it’s about how work gets done. Our ways of working encourage thoughtful planning, respect for each other’s time and open, honest conversations about capacity and support.”
Personal strategies for sustainable success
Sustainable high performance often begins with small, intentional choices. For some leaders, this involves reframing the expectation of constant perfection.
“It’s hard,” says Elliott Sawford, partner in the firm’s Energy and Infrastructure practice. “Not all stress is harmful. Performance stress sharpens focus and drives results. But when it becomes chronic, it leads to burnout. If I’m tired, that’s OK. It’s about giving yourself a break. It’s important to prioritize rest and recovery with the same discipline you bring to high-intensity work.”
Becoming a parent helped Elliott reset his perspective. He now protects early evening time with his young son—a daily break that leaves him more energized for the work that follows.
Ben runs, Kevin hikes and mountain bikes. Their strategies differ, but the theme is the same: sustainable performance requires discipline, recovery, and practices that replenish both focus and energy.
Why smarter workload management matters
No well-being approach succeeds without supportive working practices. Ben speaks frankly: “If you’re telling the team to look after themselves and then they don’t see partners doing it, it’s not authentic and could feel disconnected from people's day-to-day experience.”
A&O Shearman’s work allocation tool helps balance capacity across teams, preventing situations where one person is overloaded while another has capacity. Leaders are encouraged to balance workloads while ensuring meaningful opportunities for growth, helping to avoid burnout and “bore out”—the stagnation that comes from too little challenge.
Ben believes it’s important to advocate for his team and push back on unnecessary requests. But sometimes, there’s no escaping working antisocial hours if you’re in the middle of a busy deal. The aim is not to pretend that every peak can be removed but to plan ahead where possible, communicate clearly and manage necessary late-night or weekend work deliberately, rather than allowing it to become the norm.
What clients notice
Kevin’s experience as an in house leader gives him a clear view of how lawyers’ behavior influences client trust: “If your external lawyers are sending you emails in the middle of the night, it sends a very negative signal. It says that your teams are exhausted and less sharp.”
The future of high performance
Across A&O Shearman and many of its clients, there is growing consensus: sustainable high performance is not soft—it’s strategic and commercially essential.
Teams that work hard, recover well, and communicate openly, deliver exceptional results while maintaining long-term resilience They avoid the silent costs of burnout and build cultures where people thrive—not just survive.
In today’s demanding professional environments, that combination isn’t simply healthy—it’s a powerful competitive advantage.
FAQs
1. Is focusing on well-being just encouraging people to work less?
No. It helps people work at a high level sustainably, improving clarity, decision-making, and long-term performance—not reducing ambition.
2. What does “sustainable high performance” look like in practice?
It is the balance of effort and recovery, supported by everyday behaviors such as thoughtful workload planning, clear communication, respect for colleagues’ time, and open conversations about capacity and support. It also means supporting each other, creating an environment where asking for help is encouraged, and stepping in to help, when needed.
3. Why is well-being important for client service?
Clients want focused, energized teams that make sound decisions and consistently deliver high-quality work. Clear planning, effective communication, and thoughtful use of technology help teams respond to genuine urgency without creating unnecessary strain.
4. What support does A&O Shearman provide?
The firm has a strong framework: a global well-being advisory board that champions and helps embed sustainable working practices across the firm; well-being advocates and mental health allies; data-driven workload allocation; practical training; and minimum standards designed to support healthy, high-performing teams.
Its ways of working complement this support by suggesting everyday team behaviors that enable sustainable high performance—from thoughtful planning and open communication to respect for time, learning and recognition.
