Your boss is overwhelmed—here’s how to work with them, not against them

The first few weeks of working for a new boss are exciting. You’re ready to jump in, hopeful for growth opportunities, and eager to please. Your boss is enthusiastic, too, likely welcoming you with open arms, setting up 1-1’s, and taking a keen interest in your professional development. You both want to make a great impression on each other.

Yet, as the new job glow wears off, you may find yourself confused by how quickly your boss’s attention vanishes. The leader you were excited to work for becomes the person ignoring your emails, giving haphazard feedback, and postponing your 1-1 (again!).

Working for a boss who is overwhelmed is a frustrating, yet not uncommon experience.

A growing number of managers report feeling burnt out. Yet, employees are eager for growth opportunities, mentorship, and regular communication with their leaders. This tension often results in teammates feeling under-supported and confused, while managers feel overloaded and guilty.

Even if your manager is spiraling, you’re not powerless. Through intentionally leading yourself, you can form a supportive and impactful partnership, getting the most out of your manager’s often limited time.

Make it easy to say yes

When your manager is juggling a million things, they don’t have time to read between the lines or guess what you need. Most leaders want to support their team—they just need a little direction. That’s where you come in.

Rather than hoping your manager will “support you,” be specific. Ask them to role-play a tough conversation with you, join a high-stakes meeting, or advocate for your work to leadership. The clearer you are about what you need, the easier it is for them to step up and help.

Don’t just hope for “growth opportunities”—go after them. Find the conference you want to attend, break down why it matters, how much it costs, and then ask your manager for approval. A clear, direct request is way more likely to get a yes than a vague wish for development.

Same goes for flexibility. Instead of saying you need “more work-life balance,” be specific. Ask to work from home on Fridays or swap early mornings for late nights—whatever actually helps you.

Your manager is busy, and broad requests like “support” or “professional development” are easy to push to the bottom of the list. Spell out exactly what you need, make it an easy yes, and watch how much more you get.

Take charge of your 1-1s

If your manager is showing up to your 1-1’s frazzled and in need of a deep breath, you’re not alone. The challenge is that overwhelmed managers spend most of their time on near-term fires. They’re often worried about getting through the week, not building a successful year.

Left unchecked, this can leave your long-term strategies and professional growth high and dry. Address the pop-up windows in your manager’s brain first, but then take it upon yourself to proactively bring up longer-view horizons by asking questions like:

· What skills should I be proactively developing to excel in my role?

· How can I further support our organizational strategy of X? Or mitigate the challenge of Y?

· Who should I be building relationships with beyond our immediate team?

1-1’s that don’t go beyond immediate deliverables won’t hurt your manager, they’ll hurt you. Surface what’s most important to your career growth; don’t wait for your manager to bring it up.

Create a paper trail

A leader who is overwhelmed will often forget what happened, what they said, and what the next steps are. Their brain is either in overdrive or stuck in a survival response.

If your leader is overwhelmed, create a paper trail. It’s on you to recap conversations, confirm prioritizations, and document timelines. This is of service to you and your manager.

For you, creating a paper trail saves you time. When your manager can search their inbox for information, they’re less likely to ask you to recap or remind. When they inevitably ask you anyway, you have a simple email to forward. A paper trail is also a form of self-protection. Overwhelmed bosses are more likely to give unclear directions, change timelines, and constantly change their minds. Protect yourself and your work product by documenting important conversations.

Busy managers are juggling a hundred things at once, and sometimes, they don’t even realize they’ve given unclear or conflicting feedback until they see it in writing. That quick comment they made in passing? It might not hold up once it’s written down. That timeline they casually agreed to? It might suddenly seem impossible when it’s laid out in black and white.

If your boss is moving a mile a minute, a clear, written recap can be a lifesaver—it gives them a chance to process things at their own pace and catch any misunderstandings before they turn into bigger problems.

Bottom line: don’t leave things up to memory or interpretation. Put it in writing and protect yourself from the dreaded “I never said that.”

Be the change you seek

Don’t add fuel to the never-ending corporate fire drill. People mirror the energy around them—regardless of hierarchy. Want your manager to be more engaged? Show up engaged. Wish they were less frantic? Bring calm and focus to your meetings.

Yes, working for an overwhelmed boss can be frustrating. But odds are, they don’t want to be this way. They probably wish they had more time to support you, but they’re drowning in emails, answering to their own micromanager, or buried under deadlines.

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to wait for them to change the dynamic. You can shift the tone—no title required.