After more than 37 years working in behavioral health, Michael Sherbun has learned that some of the most revealing moments in an organization happen when things do not go according to plan. An employee questions a decision, a patient situation becomes difficult, or an unexpected problem requires an immediate response. In those moments, leaders must do more than demonstrate their knowledge or authority.
Sherbun’s career has spanned clinical roles and executive leadership, covering areas like hospital management, quality enhancement, staff training, and organizational transitions. His journey began with direct patient care for those facing behavioral health struggles and evolved into overseeing large-scale healthcare operations while supporting the teams delivering that care.
His professional journey has provided a unique lens on human behavior. Early on, he worked directly with youth and adults dealing with behavioral health issues. Later, as he moved into hospital leadership and executive roles, he noticed recurring behavioral patterns—not just among patients, but within teams and entire organizations.
While the situations varied, core concerns remained the same: people sought respect, clarity about decisions, and a sense of influence over their circumstances. When those needs went unmet, their reactions often shifted noticeably.
“In healthcare, you learn very quickly that people do not always respond to situations the way you expect them to,” Sherbun says. With experience, you begin asking what might be influencing that reaction.”
Sherbun also learned how power relations affect communication. A colleague’s question can feel entirely different when it comes from someone who evaluates their work.
One of the leadership challenges Sherbun has observed is the tendency to interpret a lack of disagreement as evidence that employees are satisfied. In demanding professional environments, employees may become reluctant to raise concerns if previous conversations have left them feeling dismissed, embarrassed, or uncertain about how their feedback will be received.
Sherbun believes this can create a misleading impression of organizational stability. “When people stop bringing problems to you, it is easy to assume things are going well,” he explains. “But sometimes they have simply decided that raising concerns is not worth the frustration. That is something leaders need to pay attention to.”
Building Trust Through Feedback
Throughout his career, Sherbun has worked on initiatives where spotting issues was key to progress. He knows organizations can’t fix what they don’t recognize, yet simply inviting feedback isn’t enough. Trust is built through consistent follow-through after difficult conversations.
Sherbun doesn’t advocate blindly accepting criticism or reversing decisions just because someone objects. He’s spent years in settings where accountability, standards, and patient safety are non-negotiable. The real test is balancing those priorities while supporting an environment where employees feel safe sharing concerns honestly.
“I think there is a difference between someone challenging your authority and someone trying to tell you something you need to hear,” he says. “As a leader, you have to be willing to consider that possibility, even when the conversation is uncomfortable.”
Understanding Caregiver Burnout
His focus on this issue stems from his research on caregiver burnout, including his writing on the toll of high-stress helping professions. Clinical and leadership experience taught him that emotional exhaustion isn’t just about workload—it’s also tied to unclear expectations, unresolved tensions, and the pressure to hide struggles.
Employees may also experience stress when expectations are unclear, difficult conversations remain unresolved, or they feel unable to acknowledge that they need assistance. He believes leaders should pay particular attention to employees who rarely complain, especially when those individuals regularly accept responsibilities beyond their normal duties.
Sherbun also recognizes that some of the pressure comes from the employees themselves. People who take pride in being dependable may find it difficult to delegate responsibilities or acknowledge their limitations. “I have seen people become so accustomed to solving problems that they begin to feel responsible for everything around them,” he says.
For Sherbun, this is one reason communication plays an important role in burnout prevention. Organizations need opportunities to discuss expectations, distribute responsibilities, and recognize when employees are becoming overwhelmed. Over time, Sherbun began recognizing connections between the behavioral challenges he encountered in clinical settings and those he observed in families, schools, workplaces, and communities.
The Psychology of Conversations
Although the circumstances differed, he noticed that difficult interactions often involved similar concerns about trust, control, expectations, and how people interpreted one another’s intentions. These observations helped shape his work developing The Navigator, an approach centered on what he describes as The Psychology of Conversations.
The Navigator focuses on three interconnected areas: behavioral communication and leadership, de-escalation and relationship preservation, and burnout and stress prevention. Sherbun believes these areas are closely related because the way people communicate influences how they respond to conflict, manage responsibility, and maintain relationships during stressful circumstances.
“Over the years, I began seeing similar patterns in very different environments,” he explains. “The way a teenager responds to a parent may look different from the way an employee responds to a supervisor, but both situations can involve concerns about being heard, feeling respected, or having some control over what happens next.”