The role of the leader in fostering mental health
The pressures on leaders are enormous right now. Dealing with uncertainty, social and political upheaval, the rising cost of living, increasing demands for quick turnarounds, rapid adoption of new technologies, and the impacts of AI, to name just a few.
During and post-COVID, organisations have rightfully stepped up their efforts to provide mental health support to their team members. In addition to EAP services, leaders are more than ever at the forefront of ensuring wellbeing at work. Never more so than now, when Australians are in the grip of a mental health crisis, and it remains difficult to get the psychological supports required through our health services, and waitlists remain long.
What Does It Take to Be a Good Leader in This Way?
1. Authenticity
Authenticity is key. Talking honestly and openly about your own mental health will have a positive impact on your team members. Leaders as role models need to manage stress effectively and support their teams in doing the same. By sharing your own struggles and coping mechanisms, you create an environment where others feel safe to do the same. This openness helps to normalise conversations around mental health, reducing stigma and fostering a supportive culture.
2. Personal Connections
Effective leaders know their people – both their backstory and their present-time life circumstances. The benefits of this cannot be underestimated. When times are challenging, the mood and productivity of team members will be impacted. A good leader knows the context and can quickly offer targeted support and empathy – both terrific insulators in setting things right for the team member. By maintaining strong personal connections, leaders can identify signs of distress early and provide the necessary support.
3. Self-Awareness
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses in terms of stressors is key to resilience. We are each uniquely wired, and we need to tailor our remedies to our personalities and life situations. I am a big fan of having a resilience plan and encourage my clients to step through that process annually or during significant life changes. Self-awareness allows leaders to recognise when they are approaching burnout and to take proactive steps to mitigate it. This, in turn, sets a positive example for the team.
4. Managing Digital Communications
Too many channels cause friction and distraction. Leaders need to model and evaluate organisational needs, reduce distractibility, and encourage effective, timely, and on-point communication within their team. Streamlining communication channels helps to minimise overwhelm and ensures that important messages are not lost in the noise. Leaders should also encourage digital detoxes and set clear boundaries around work-related communication to prevent burnout.
5. Burnout
Burnout is an ever-present risk for leaders. Setting boundaries around your working day, going to the gym, leaving at a reasonable hour to spend time with friends or family, or regularly putting on an out-of-office notice will encourage your staff to do the same. Leaders who prioritise their own wellbeing send a powerful message to their teams about the importance of work-life balance. By modelling healthy habits, leaders can help to create a culture where employees feel empowered to take care of their own mental health.
6. Vulnerability
Leaders of today need support from their teams as well. Good leaders know the support they need and how to ask for it. Encouraging deeper conversations with key team members builds bonds of trust and provides access to support if you are struggling. Vulnerability fosters genuine connections and can help to break down barriers that might prevent open communication. When leaders show that they are human too, it creates a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment.
Fostering good mental health remains a key responsibility for leaders. Open, regular, and vulnerable conversations will encourage a healthy workplace culture where everyone feels supported on both good days and the not-so-good days. By prioritising mental health, leaders can help to create resilient and thriving teams.
If you’re looking for more strategies to support mental health in the workplace, or if you have insights to share, please reach out. Together, we can build more resilient and supportive workplaces.