Why Mental Health Awareness is Important for Leadership
In the past, we used to only worry about physical health and safety. Now, thankfully, we’re moving towards a time when people are starting to understand that good mental health is primary. If you think about it, when you are mentally unwell, chances are you won’t be able to prioritise your physical health!
Good mental health is without a doubt important for everyone and leaders play an important role in safeguarding the mental health of people in the workplace.
Leaders control the flow of work and set the goals and expectations that others need to live up to. Unrealistic expectations, excessive workloads, and tight deadlines increase stress and force people to work longer, often for no reward. In other words, leaders can set the tone for good mental health in the workplace.
Why Leaders Need to Safeguard Their Own Mental Health
1. Leaders Need Good Mental Health to Show Empathy
When you’re stuck in the mud, stressed, and fearful, it’s hard to feel empathy for others. But empathy is the edge that makes thoughtful leaders great. When you genuinely care about your team and are able to understand other perspectives, you build rapport, trust, and credibility.
When you are struggling at work, you’ll be more preoccupied trying to fix your own problems than focus on others. Then, you run the risk of being an absent, unavailable leader.
2. Leaders Need Good Mental Health to Be Perceptive
Being perceptive is one of the most important qualities of being a leader. Perceptive leaders notice body language, attitudes and can respond to situations and adapt their approach.
If your own mental health is under attack, you’ll tend to become more preoccupied with your own thoughts and problems, and you’ll generally become less observant. Even if you do notice something, you may choose to ignore it because your care factor just isn’t there.
3. Leaders Need Good Mental Health to Keep Showing Up
When you’re struggling with stress, anxiety or depression, there is a good chance you might need to take some time to feel better. And don’t feel bad about this; your team can deal without you for a certain period of time. Remember that the problem would be even worse if you stayed at work; you wouldn’t be able to support your team and you’d just be reinforcing the situation with a downward spiral. Just like you need to put your own oxygen mask on first if you want to help other people, you need to.take care of your own mental health first.
How InBloom Helps Leaders Lead with Wellbeing First
We’ve heard it so many times recently; leaders must first focus on their own wellbeing. At In Bloom, we are helping leaders have a better understanding of what their wellbeing looks like, holistically. We do this by using the Global Leadership Wellbeing Survey. This is the first step of our Leadership Wellbeing Coaching journey. Get in touch if you’re worried about someone’s else mental health or your own.