Hundreds of people provided perspectives on mental health and leadership.
Mental health is a topic of critical importance and front of mind for so many of us. My series on mental health has generated comments, ideas and recommendations—and it’s worth considering all the ways the collective thinking about mental health will shape responses from leaders and organizations.
Compelling data about the major effects that managers have on mental health helped start the conversation. That led to discussions about whether managers should be responsible for workers’ mental health; the business benefits of considering employees’ mental health; and how gratitude, friendship and ensuring people feel seen, can have positive effects on their mental health.
Substantive research paved the way for the content and over 365,000 collective views catalyzed a dialogue with people representing organizations globally.
Hundreds of readers shared in comments on LinkedIn and other social media about the pressures they feel as leaders, the risk of burnout, and how best to support themselves and their teams during difficult times.
Here’s what leaders said about mental health and the ability for individuals and organizations to move forward.
On Leadership
Pressure
There is significant agreement that leaders and managers are under extraordinary pressure today. Their responsibilities go beyond the financial obligations that dominated manager accountability in the past. In addition, the new landscape of work adds strain. David Rosado, talent acquisition manager with the Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., expresses this challenge, “With remote work becoming the new normal, it can be challenging to provide opportunities for employees to connect with their colleagues and managers.” Today leaders must invest energy and emotional labor as they seek to get the balance right between a focus on people and a focus on business—and between driving results and ensuring supportive, connected environments for people.
Impact
Another key theme surrounded leaders’ significant level of impact. Respondents reinforced that when people leave an organization, it is most often because of their leader, not because of the company more broadly. In addition, leaders set a tone for the team, and their actions become magnified because of their roles. Fama Francisco, CEO global baby, feminine and family care, P&G, emphasizes both the impact and responsibility of leaders, “As managers we directly impact how employees feel about themselves. At the end of the day, we help them learn and grow, be recognized for their achievements and contribute to the success of the team. Leadership is a big responsibility!”
Match and Career Growth
Some commented that not everyone should lead people—and leadership isn’t always a fit based on skills. Career development often entails increasing people’s reporting relationships and spans of control. But it would be better to ensure value is placed on non-people-leader responsibilities as well—so employees can grow in their roles without necessarily leading others.
Support and Self Awareness
There was plenty of agreement about the extent of the support necessary for leaders. Coaching for leaders drives not only the quality of the leaders’ experience, but also their effect on others—so it has an exponential impact. And many people pointed out that leaders must be self-aware and understand how they’re coming across, how they can improve and how to communicate with authenticity. “What most connects great leaders is their self-awareness. Authentic leadership styles are many, but it is hard to replace self-awareness with anything,” says Tuula Rytila, board member Bang & Olufsen.
Exchanging ideas is a great way to inspire proactive action.
On Mental Health
Burnout and Self-Help
In addition to reflections on leadership, people focused on mental health. Many people tied mental health to burnout and its prevalence—and focused on the how organizations can create the conditions for better experiences. They pointed out that mental health is more than a self-help issue, and can be enhanced through giving people meaning, connections, growth opportunities, empathy and resources when they need them. Leaders must be intentional, according to Frank Sottosanti, CMO with Transamerica, “Now more than ever, managers need to create time for making meaningful connections with their employees and ensuring that every team member has the opportunity to be visible.”
Limits of Leaders
People also pointed out that while leaders have a significant effect on mental health, employee wellbeing is not totally within a leader’s responsibility. There are elements of life which are outside a leader’s control—and people must take ownership for their own wellbeing, at the same time the leader, the team and the organization have a role to play.
On Taking Action
In the discussion, there were also pragmatic points about where to go from here—given the importance of mental health and with the effects of leaders and organizations. These are the recommendations people had for improving current conditions.
Supporting Parents
People pointed out that parenting can be especially taxing when employees are juggling tasks, time, family and career—and supporting parents is a meaningful way to foster positive mental health. Recommendations included providing childcare, flexible work hours and locations, parenting affinity groups or the like.
Training, Learning and Development
Discussion often centered around the value of training and developing employees—and the positive effects of learning and growth for mental health. People pointed out that when a manager believes in you or when a company invests in you, these can be validating and reinforcing. Brian Aquart, vice-president for workforce and community education for Northwell Health expresses how powerful appreciation can be, “It’s simple for me, I feel seen and valued when my name is mentioned in rooms of opportunity where I’m not present and I hear about it later. It’s validating and appreciated.”
Networking
Leaders can be in a tough position when they need to talk with someone about their struggles, but don’t feel they should divulge too much to their teams. As a result, many recommended that leaders connect with each other, guide one another and foster networks within which they can develop in the safe space of a leadership community.
Empathy
Empathy has a proven effect on mental health and positive results for organizations. People recommended emphasizing cultures of empathy and developing leaders’ skills in demonstrating empathy—starting with curiosity, concern and compassion. Kathleen Hogan, CPO for Microsoft, points to the range of behaviors which matter most, “As leaders, we can make a big impact on mental health by tuning in, listening and demonstrating empathy and compassion.”
Culture
Overall, people referenced culture and the way that leaders have a ripple effect in their impact. Rajesh Gopinath Kumar, CIO for a tech startup provides detail, “Managers play a crucial role in shaping the work environment and culture, and their actions can have a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of their employees. A positive work environment can help employees feel valued, supported and motivated, while a negative environment can lead to stress, burnout and mental health issues.”
Moving Forward
Overall, people reflected on the importance of the issue, but also the critical need to be proactive. Knowing leaders have such an impact, necessitates action, so that the experience of work can be improved for employees and leaders—and so it can contribute to the very best mental health.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2023/03/13/managers-play-a-crucial-role-leaders-react-to-employee-mental-health/