Stopping Team Burnout: Managing High-Pressure Launch Cycles

I lead the marketing and publicity team for a management company. Every time we have a major album release or tour launch, the work hours become unsustainable (14+ hour days, weekends). The resulting stress leads to high conflict between team members—publicists blaming social media, social media blaming the radio promoters, etc. I know the work demands are cyclical and necessary, but my team is on the brink of burnout and retention is suffering. How can I implement strategies to mitigate the toxic team dynamic and high turnover that happens when the pressure hits its peak? —Exhausted Executive

This week’s response was prepared by Queer Capita Board Member, Zach Porfiris.

Burnout is a Systems Problem, Not a People Problem.

Hi Exhausted Executive,

What you're describing is not a people problem. It's a systems problem. If this happens every launch cycle, that's actually good news!

It means it's predictable and preventable. Problems are solvable.

Under extreme pressure, people don't suddenly become worse teammates. What happens is clarity drops, exhaustion goes up, and blame fills the gap. So the goal isn't get people to behave better. The goal is design the system so it holds up under stress.

Are you treating peak launch periods like normal work or like an entirely different operating mode? I think you know what I'm implying.

Activating "Peak Mode": Setting Different Rules for Stress.

Peak cycles require different rules, so before the next launch, clearly define when peak mode starts and ends, which expectations temporarily change, who owns which decisions, and, just as important, what work is not expected during that time.

When people know "this will be intense, but it's time-limited, supported, and acknowledged," they handle it much better.

Clarity Beats Collaboration: Lock-in Ownership Early.

To go deeper, have you actually said out loud what success looks like during peak performance, or is your team guessing under pressure? Most peak-cycle conflict stems from role confusion. So, before the pressure hits, lock-in ownership. Fewer handoffs, fewer consensus decisions under stress. In moments of high stress, clarity beats collaboration every time.

The Three Questions: A "No-Blame" Strategy During Peaks.

Another helpful move is a temporary no-blame rule during peak periods. No finger-pointing, no mid-launch postmortems. Just three questions. One, what's blocked? Two, what can we simplify, and three, who needs help right now?

When leaders model that, team behavior usually follows.

Making Recovery Visible and Guaranteed.

Also to be considered: Burnout isn't just about long hours. It's about long hours without recovery or fairness. Is recovery built into the system, or is it optional? Make recovery visible and guaranteed. When people trust that the struggle is temporary and acknowledged, resentment drops.

Here's the big takeaway: Strong teams aren't the ones that avoid stress. They're the ones designed to survive it. If you design your peak cycles intentionally, the conflict usually fades because the system does more of the work rather than your people carrying it all.

— Zach

How to lead a team through high-pressure cycles:

Define "Peak Operating Mode": Clearly state when the cycle starts/ends and what work can be deprioritized.
Simplify Decision-Making: Reduce handoffs and consensus meetings; clarity is more important than collaboration under stress.
Implement a "No-Blame" Rule: During the launch, focus only on: What’s blocked? What can we simplify? Who needs help?
Guarantee Recovery: Build mandatory downtime into the system following the high-pressure period.