Leaders are often portrayed as either thriving or burning out; success stories or cautionary tales. The reality is more nuanced.

According to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace Report , leaders report higher levels of engagement and wellbeing than employees. But they also experience elevated levels of stress, anger, sadness, and loneliness. In other words, today’s leaders are succeeding and struggling at the same time.

This tension isn’t new. Nearly two thousand years ago, Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius grappled with the privileges of leadership amid war, disease, and political unrest. He turned to Stoicism to gain some perspective and resilience. While those principles remain relevant, today’s leaders face challenges that require modern solutions as well.

As CEO of Jotform, I’ve seen how intentional leadership practices can bridge this gap, helping leaders stay resilient while fostering more positive emotional experiences across their teams. Here are a few strategies, aided by AI-powered tools, to close the divide between leaders and employees on both positive and negative emotions.

More Responsibility, Sooner

If I learned anything from three parental leaves, during which I nearly fully disconnected for months at a time, it’s that delegation has multifold benefits. Employee engagement tends to increase as people take on more responsibility. Not only do they feel challenged, but they also appreciate the opportunity to grow and advance.

You may even find, as I did, that when given the chance, your team members exceed expectations. When I delegate, people often accomplish the task and improve the underlying process while they’re at it. The entire organization benefits. You’re left carrying a lighter load. Employees are empowered.

But it requires delegating ownership of the task—not just piecemeal parts of it. AI agents can help leaders to genuinely delegate, identifying available team members, mapping out workflows, and automating manual, repetitive tasks. They can enable you to pass the baton, confident in your employees and the underlying systems.

Top-Down Vulnerability And Candor

Stoicism can provide a helpful model for leaders in today’s fast-moving world, where technological disruption and economic volatility are constant concerns. But too much of anything can be destructive. When it comes to the emotional weight that so many leaders carry, vulnerability can be an asset.

At Jotform, I’ve found that opening up with my team helps form stronger bonds. If I’m transparent about a stressful situation—like a new competitor entering our market or a product launch that didn’t go as well as we’d hoped—it helps them see me as more human, more as a peer. It also lowers their guard in ways that lead to productive discussions, not to mention relief from some of the pressure.

AI tools can help leaders communicate vulnerability better. Editing tools like Grammarly Business can ensure that you nail the tone you’re after. LLMs like Claude or ChatGPT can suggest ways to be more transparent. Leadership tools like Butterfly.AI can help leaders to solicit candid feedback and cultivate more self-awareness about how they’re perceived and how employees are feeling.

Professionalism shouldn’t be thrown by the wayside, but a touch of vulnerability can break down barriers that otherwise place unnecessary strain on leaders and create confusion for employees.

Time For Personally Meaningful Work

Being a leader isn’t for the faint of heart. Every day, you’re called on to make decisions that impact people’s futures and the company’s path forward. My company has grown to over 800 employees, and I know they all, to some extent, rely on me. It’s not an insignificant consideration as I walk into the office each morning.

I’ve found that, to manage that pressure—and for the entire journey, with its highs and inevitable lows, to feel worthwhile—it’s essential to carve out time for work you love: the kind of tasks that feel personally meaningful.

You might already have an idea of what those tasks are, but you may need to step back and identify them. Ask yourself: Which tasks do you look forward to? Which projects leave you feeling motivated and energized? What would you like more time for? Once you’ve made your list, look for ways to automate (or even eliminate) the rest.

For me, that means systematically cutting meetings that aren’t strictly necessary, keeping tabs on the latest AI tools to automate repetitive work, and blocking time for writing and strategizing how to improve our products.

Once you have your list of meaningful tasks, guard them like your career depends on it—because if you want to be in it for the long haul, it just might. Like Marcus Aurelius, sustaining that kind of steadiness in the face of relentless challenges starts with focusing your time and energy on what matters.