Leaders Go First

This #MentalHealthMonth, Mind Share Partners launched our #LeadersGoFirst campaign–a storytelling initiative that’s very close to my heart. It aims to normalize experiencing mental health challenges at work and create a culture of safety and support-seeking for all workers by inspiring leaders to share their personal mental health stories.?

Whether you are an executive, manager, or individual leading wellness initiatives, your story matters and can create safety around discussing mental health at work. But before I dive into our fantastic new video library and accompanying playbook, I’d like to share how the Leaders Go First campaign came to be…

How It Started

Until I founded Mind Share Partners in 2017, I did my best to hide my Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which led to two bouts of debilitating depression until I learned how to manage it. After working so hard for many years in competitive, high-performing schools and workplaces, I was terrified of hurting my career if people found out.?

At that time, I wasn’t aware of any professional peers or role models with a similar experience, which only increased my anxiety and diminished my hope of overcoming it. When I was forced to take a leave of absence from work, I honestly thought that my career was over.

Reflecting on those days, I wonder what my experience would have been if there had been a #leader or role model who had normalized talking about mental health earlier in my career. I imagine I would have felt less alone and more hopeful that I could move through my challenges and still succeed.

Because of this, I’ve wanted to create a workplace mental health storytelling campaign for a while now–to be the role model and voice I needed when I was struggling. But until recently, few leaders were willing to talk about their personal #mentalhealth challenges–only those of a family member or friend.

From academic leaders like Brené Brown and celebrity artists like #MeganTheeStallion, to athletes like tennis champion #NaomiOsaka, we’ve increasingly borne witness to the power and inspiration of an authentic mental health story.?

Now, we are calling on business leaders to do the same...

Authentic, vulnerable, and hopeful personal stories help leaders redefine the narrative around workplace mental health.?

Leaders Go First

I am so proud to share our Leaders Go First campaign with you, which features a collection of videos from C-level leaders (leader allies) sharing their personal mental health stories—many for the first time—as well as a companion playbook on storytelling best practices from our years of client work and my most recent article in Harvard Business Review.

The campaign includes a special video message from Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. #SurgeonGeneral.

"81% of workers reported that they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future. That's why efforts like Mind Share Partners’ ‘Leaders Go First’ campaign are so important, because when workplaces step up, when their leaders step up in particular to share their personal mental health stories, it inspires openness and shifts a culture to one where we don't feel ashamed to seek help." ?— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General

I mentioned that our campaign features C-level leaders sharing their personal mental health stories. At Mind Share Partners, we call this "being a leader ally." Leader allies inspire openness, authenticity, and true culture change. You can watch my leader ally story here.

My fellow campaign leader allies are distinguished leaders with a diverse spectrum of mental health experiences, including diagnosed conditions, stress, grief, and burnout. They include...

? Watch all of the leader ally videos here:

Spark a Conversation

Of course, the campaign is not just a video collection… it’s a call to action! We hope to mobilize leaders at all levels to spark #workplaceculture change by sharing their personal mental health stories, and we’re providing a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

Just in the last week, we’ve seen how these leader ally stories have been sparking meaningful connections and reflections through social media:

Our Leaders Go First Playbook is designed to guide leaders of all levels to effectively share their personal mental health stories—which we ALL have—based on our years of coaching leaders as a core part of our training, advising, and transformation work with clients like PGIM, Pinterest, and Morrison & Foerster.

? For a detailed walkthrough of our storytelling best practices, download the Leaders Go First Playbook here>

Or, if you’re short on time...

Check out my accompanying article in the Harvard Business Review that explores why sharing your own mental health story helps you become a better ally and what to consider when crafting your own story.

Here are a few ways to start:

• Decide whether to tell your story. Start by turning to safe spaces in your personal life for input, such as a friend, partner, or therapist.
• Speak in the first person. While it can be helpful to hear stories about family members or close friends, not sharing your “I” story can inadvertently reinforce an “us vs. them” narrative.
• Think about the bigger picture and strive for inclusion. If you’re comfortable, name the visible and invisible identity markers that have affected your mental health journey. The intent is to help others who share aspects of your identity and may find your story particularly resonant.

? Read additional tips in my HBR article here>

It Starts With You...

Whether you’re a senior executive, manager, people leader, or member of an employee resource group, we invite you to be a part of the Leaders Go First campaign by listening to our leader allies’ stories and joining the conversation. I would love to hear your #workplacementalhealth story.

Here’s how you can be a part of the movement:

1. Read the playbook for best practices in crafting your mental health story, or reach out to Mind Share Partners for leader ally coaching.
2. Develop your story and choose a forum to share it at work.
3. Share your story on social networks, and use the hashtag #LeadersGoFirst.
4. Tag Mind Share Partners on Linkedin/Meta: @MindSharePartners or Twitter: @MindShareOrg for the opportunity for your story to be featured on our site and social networks!

My hope is that the examples of our leader allies and the playbook will spark transformative conversations for you, your team, and your organization. Remember—you are not alone and can be the catalyst for change!

When leaders like you GO FIRST, you:

? Normalize mental health challenges at work and reduce #stigma.

? Signal to workers that experiencing mental health challenges is okay and that they’ll be supported when they do.

? Model healthy behaviors, like leading with vulnerability and proactively seeking mental health support.

Thank you for reading my newsletter and choosing to be a leader ally for your organization and beyond!

With gratitude,