How’s your mental health?
Leadership is changing. In one of our favourite HBR articles, Managers Can’t Do It All, Diane Gherson and Lynda Gratton explore how digitisation, the pandemic, and generational differences are creating different demands on leaders across lots of industries. In a 2021 survey, Gartner found that 68% of leaders in their sample group were feeling overwhelmed. As leaders, we’re not immune from stress and challenge, and at HEX, our experience is that the c-suite is reluctant to be open about their own mental health.
We can’t underestimate the impact that we have on others. In its recent global survey, the Workforce Institute found that managers have an equal impact on an individual’s mental health as their spouse, and suggest that it’s time we talk about the major impact our managers and jobs can have on our wellbeing.
Despite the increased flexibility many have enjoyed since the pandemic hit, lots of people are still feeling overworked, anxious, and stressed. This impacts organisations in several ways – and we know from research that many of us don’t feel able to talk about it with our managers. Managers that create an inclusive space where people feel secure and able to talk increase engagement in their teams, and this leads to better mental health.
In the Workforce Institute’s survey, they found that around 20% of c-suite leaders admit they’re often or always feeling cynical, irritable, and burned out at work. They give guidance on how managers can do several things to impact more positively on their team members through building empathy, authenticity, active listening, and a growth mindset. This can boost belonging at work and bring teams closer together:
Provide an empathetic voice: be open about your own feelings, personal struggles or experiences with mental health. This will create a safe space for your team members to bring their whole selves to work and you can understand how you can help.
Enable and encourage time off: be a role model to your team members by taking meaningful time off so everyone knows that its best practice to come back rested, refreshed and focussed (and don’t forget to stay off email while you’re away).
Treat employees like people: every organisation should provide support and care for employees, and managers should do the same.
It’s also imperative that you don’t neglect your own mental health and stress levels or you might become one of the 68% that feel overwhelmed. Managing your mental health is central to being happy and effective so regularly reflect on the stresses and strains you are experiencing and understand what the impact is. This will help you to frame and hopefully allow for an easier discussion with your own manager so that you can be clear on what you need in terms of time off, resources or other support.
The more you’re aware of your mental health and any problems you’re experiencing, the more purposeful and specific you can be in asking for help to sort them out. Not only will this help you, it’ll also make you more effective in supporting your team members.
