Leaders, you deserve support, too. It’s time to create it.

Leaders, you deserve support, too. It’s time to create it.

Leaders, how often have you felt distressed in the last three years?

Running a business…

Leading an organization…

Caring for your own mental health…

Looking after your team when the world is on fire…

Alongside the stress of:

• The economy
• The current work culture and workforce
• Uncertainty about how to be an effective leader with your team
• And how to elevate your business or reach your goals

That’s a lot to carry on your own.

Now more than ever, I see headlines at major media outlets sharing how leaders can do more, how they need to do better, and how we need to hold them accountable - especially in a changing work climate.

While I agree with holding people accountable, I also want to remind everyone and you (yes, you, the leader) that leaders are also people.

The people who lead our organizations, the people who lead teams, the people who run small businesses - humanity shouldn’t be taken away from people just because they are leaders.

And leaders, just like others, deserve support, too.

You deserve support from someone that understands where you are, can hold space, hold you accountable, and see AND hold the vision of your business.?

The reality of leadership

Almost 60% of leaders reported feeling worn out at the end of each day, which can be an indication of burnout. (Apollo Technical, May 2022. “25 Surprising Leadership Statistics to Take Note Of”)

One recent survey of 2000 professionals found that 76% report that work stress has negatively impacted their relationships and 66% report losing sleep because of work stress. (Apollo Technical, May 2022. “25 Surprising Leadership Statistics to Take Note Of”)

A recent survey of 2,400 CEOs found all of them to be suffering from stress. (CALDA Clinic. September 2022. “The Truth About the Mental Health of CEOs”)

Now, more than ever, we are seeing pressure on leaders increase - from both sides of the coin:

1. Internal pressure to reach company goals, and lead effectively
2. External pressure to ‘do more’ and ‘be better’

And I’ve seen this pressure has caused leaders to want to:

• Sell or close their company
• Feel an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety
• And feel overwhelmed

This makes me think that throughout the last three years, after the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders haven’t received the full support they need.

During the pandemic, many leaders jumped in to keep their businesses afloat and care for their teams - and haven’t yet taken time to reflect and recover.

While I believe this is admirable, in the long-term it isn’t sustainable.

So what’s happening at executive and leadership levels?

Leaders feel the pressure to be superhuman.

Leaders feel the pressure to be perfect.

Leaders feel the weight of company and team success on their shoulders.

And oftentimes, they are holding this burden on their own because they don’t want to seem weak or unable to take on the work.

Making space for your leadership

As a former corporate leader, now founder of my own business supporting leaders, I understand firsthand how difficult it can be to prioritize your rest, well-being, and space for care.

This was a situation I also lived through, after starting my business and then being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) one year after opening doors for business.

After my original diagnosis of MS, I knew my leadership style needed to change. I used to pride myself in being a ‘hard-hitting’, get it done, and do whatever it takes, leader.

It resulted in:

• Growing my business exponentially and bringing on a Managing Partner
• Helping clients go from a team of 5 to a team of 50+
• Supporting clients to bring on business partners
• And building supportive systems for clients to grow and expand their clientele and teams

This also resulted in:

• Prioritizing work over health
• Letting work consume my days, weeks, and life
• And feeling the strains on my body due to stress and my disease

Since my diagnosis with MS 2.5 years ago, I am now in a place where I feel more confident in my ability to live with this disease AND prioritize my health above all else.

I finally accepted that I also need to make space for my leadership and have an outlet where I can get support.

I realized I don’t have to hold onto everything by myself (why I brought in a Managing Partner). The weight of the business doesn’t need to fall on me (why I brought in trusted partners, team members, and built sustainable systems).

Most importantly, I’ve found external support in mentors, coaches, and grounding practices that support me.?

So where do you start to receive support?

Finding support as a leader

We’re often told that leadership is “leaders eating last”.

Or, that leaders are our superheroes, like in popular movies.

Or that leaders are power-hungry, money-obsessed people who don’t care about their teams.

But for me, leadership isn’t about any of that.

It isn’t being a superhero, nor is it being callous and not caring about your people/employees.

Leadership is igniting in your people, whether that’s your family, team, colleagues, or anyone you come in contact with, the belief that they can create the best version of their life and, therefore, create a better world.

And that type of leadership can only be sustainable when leaders find the support they need, create space for their own rest and well-being, and build sustainable systems to support their vision.

Now, leader, if you’re thinking about where you can find support - here are a few ideas:

• Create a culture of empathy → Build empathy into your organizational principles and practices. This includes practices like personal growth and development as a team, building skills in active listening as an organization, and perspective taking - which we often do with clients/customers, but not as a team.??
• Bring in wrap-around support → wrap-around support is support outside of work to support your physical and mental health. For me, wrap-around support has been investing in holistic health practices, breathwork, and meditation.
• Hiring, Delegating, and Outsourcing → bringing in trusted partners and hiring culture-add team members has given me support within the business. It’s also helped us to grow as a company and team, to do even better work.
• Coaching and mentorship → investing in a coach or mentor can help you strategize your business, as well as, give you the space to brainstorm and receive outside perspective.
• Leadership development → receiving the support you need at your level of leadership is crucial because it holds you accountable to your vision and brings in new ways to problem solve.
• Increasing your emotional agility → ensuring you understand your fear responses, notice when they are happening, and have clear and actionable practices to move through them, versus responding negatively.?

“Prioritize you”

As a leader, consider it a key responsibility to take ownership of your mental health and get the support you need.

We often hear how lonely it is to be a ‘leader’, and while I agree that leadership can feel lonely… we have the ability to change this if we find the right support and mentorship we need.

This can look like a leadership coach, therapy, or simple and sustainable grounding practices built into your daily and weekly schedule.

I want to point out that if you have a team and trusted partners in place, the support you need as a leader isn’t just internal to your business - it is also external.

You deserve support and connection from someone that can hold you accountable, has a shared level of respect for you, can hold your vision, and support you in achieving it.

Like they say, ‘the buck stops with you’.

Are you looking for leadership support? Book a consult call with me so we can discuss our intensive workshops to co-create an action plan for your business, where you can get the support you need.

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>> Do you need support as a leader to support your business vision? We’d love to co-create an action plan together that helps you bring your vision to life, build an inclusive company culture, and attract your dream team! Schedule a consult call to learn how we can help.

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