Your Team Feels Stretched — How to Share the Load More Effectively
Situation
You may be experiencing this if:
Your team is working hard, and the day still feels relentless
People stay in their own lanes, even when things get intense for someone else
When something gets heavy, it tends to stay with the person who owns the work
There’s a sense of “everyone is handling their own piece”
Even strong teams start to feel stretched or drained over time
In healthcare, the work doesn’t slow down.
But how the team carries the work can make a BIG difference in how it feels.
What’s Really Happening
Most teams are designed around ownership.
Each person has their role, their responsibilities, and their workload.
And when things get hard, the default becomes:“I’ve got it.”“I’ll figure it out.”
The key insight is this: High-performing teams don’t just manage the work — they manage the energy required to do the work.
When stress stays contained within individuals:
The work feels heavier
People recover more slowly
And performance becomes harder to sustain
But when teams intentionally support each other in real time:
The same workload feels more manageable
People think more clearly
And the team builds momentum together
The shift isn’t about doing less work.
It’s about how the work is carried.
What Helps
Start where the work feels most intense
Look for the moments that consistently drain energy across your team.
For example:
Back-to-back high-acuity patients
Constant interruptions
End-of-day documentation piling up
Instead of expecting individuals to absorb these moments, begin building small ways to support them.
For example:
Instead of one manager holding all their own scheduling issues, another manager jumps in during a surge or staffing gap.
Instead of one nurse getting back-to-back complex patients, a teammate helps rebalance assignments mid-shift.
Use strengths more intentionally
Pay attention to what people naturally do well — and where that could support the team more broadly.
For example:
Someone strong with data supports dashboards or tracking work
Someone who excels at service recovery steps in for escalations
Someone who thrives in fast-paced situations supports during surges
This helps the work flow more smoothly — and reduces unnecessary strain.
Introduce shared ownership in one area
You don’t have to change everything at once.
Start with one place where the team can carry the work together.
For example:
For manager teams: Co-leading a project or sharing responsibility for a workflow
For frontline teams:
Buddy coverage during high-volume hours
Quick huddles to problem-solve challenges
Even small shifts here change how the team functions.
Normalize real-time support and coverage
Make it part of how the team works — not an exception.
For example:
“I’ve got you — go take 10 minutes.”
“I’ll handle this while you finish that.”
These small moments allow people to reset — and stay effective throughout the day.
Design this with your team — and test it
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Ask:
“Where are the hardest parts of the day?”
“What would make this feel more manageable?”
“Where could we support each other differently?”
Then try small changes for a couple of weeks and notice what improves — what feels lighter, and what helps the team move forward together.
High-performing teams aren’t defined by how hard they work.
They’re defined by how they carry the work together.
Listen to the podcast episode
🎧 How Winning Teams Turn Stress Into Peak Performance (Ep. 68)