The Real Reason Senior Faculty Feel Drained (And How to Get Back Up).

R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness · Jun 25, 2026 · 11m

If you’re a senior professor or academic leader, I hope you hear this clearly.

Most days, you’re navigating enormous ambiguity.

You’re expected to have answers.

But the truth is: you’re making a lot of it up as you go.

We all are.

There are three groups I try to speak to every day:

1. Senior faculty who quietly carry the emotional weight of an entire department.

2. Early-career scholars who are confused and overwhelmed.

3. People who work with students or colleagues who are struggling inside.

And the hard part is this:

So much of the conflict you face has nothing to do with you.

People…