Leading, ourselves and others – for better mental health and wellbeing in law

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and in this newsletter I thought I’d focus on one of the most effective ways of improving lawyer mental health I believe there is…

Good Leadership Skills.

Here I am talking about:

Firstly: self-leadership (managing ourselves even if we don’t have people we “lead” in the usual sense); and

Secondly: traditional leadership for those who are in the often tricky, but also privileged position of being responsible for others, including their mental health, wellbeing and performance at work.

Tackling mental health and wellbeing in the workplace is the responsibility of the employer and the employee, they both have a role to play.

So how can leaders make a real difference to their own mental health and wellbeing, their team members and their firm as a whole?

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Managing themselves

Why is this important?

1. Role Modelling: Leaders set the tone for the rest of the team, effectively they are part of the culture of the firm. Where leaders neglect their own mental health, it sends a message to the team that it's acceptable to prioritise work over well-being, which can inevitably lead to exhaustion, fatigue and burnout with the corresponding reduction in productivity of the team.
2. Decision Making: Team leaders will be making multiple decisions on a daily basis.? Not only those in relation to their own legal work and clients but also decisions regarding the team, work allocation, problem solving, identifying and tackling conflict plus additional considerations around team budgets and targets. Maintaining good mental health is vital for effective decision-making, problem-solving, and sound judgment. Poor mental health impairs cognitive function and leads to errors in judgment, more misunderstandings and perhaps missing important information.
3. Stress Management: We know that this profession includes demanding clients, tight deadlines, and challenging or complex issues to resolve.? That’s just the legal work.? Many team leaders also tell me they consider themselves a “shield” for their team, their role being to protect, nurture and look after their people.? A wonderful trait in many ways, but potentially a dangerous one. ?Leaders who neglect their mental health (and go into overdrive on the protection front) are more susceptible to burnout, anxiety, and depression themselves and they may not feel they have anyone to raise this with, it’s their burden to carry in essence.? This is a big concern with some of the firms I’m talking to right now.
4. Regulating Others: When we learn to calm our own nervous systems more effectively, it has a calming effect on those around us. If we operate in high stress, those we lead tend to do the same - it's contagious. I'm currently completing a trauma informed leadership qualification and while I realise I've been working in this way for a few years, it's really fascinating just how much more intentional we can be about regulating not only our own stress, but those around us. Team members, children, opponents even! There will be more to come on this topic in the future and I'm exciting to soon be able to deliver specific workshop trainings.

Practical Exercises You Can Try:

I know it’s easy for me to list these here and they are much harder to put into practice when you don’t value your own downtime and health particularly highly, but I’ve included signposting to resources for additional support here as well.

• Mindfulness Practices: Incorporate mindfulness techniques into your daily routine, such as a short meditation (YouTube is brilliant for this, simply type in “guided meditation for stress” and choose something short to get you started. Breathing exercises are also great for resetting the stress system and you can try a simple breathe in for a count of 5, hold for 2 and then breathe out for 8.? This can be repeated a few times a day or whenever you feel your stress levels rising. These help to manage stress by resetting the system and reducing the stress hormone cortisol.
• Self-Care Rituals: Schedule regular breaks and engage in activities that recharge you mentally and physically, whether it's exercise, hobbies, or spending time with loved ones.? You can start very small with this one. Have a “bridging ritual” between work and home mode, even if you’re working from home.? What can you do to signal to your brain when you have finished work for the day?? A little walk, a shower, get changed, play your favourite song, try something fun!
• Setting Boundaries: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life to prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. It’s so easy to say this and so hard to do. ?Again start small.? Decide what time you’d like to “shut down” at the end of the day. ?It won’t be possible every day, especially if you’re a transactional lawyer like me, some days will need a bit more maybe quite a bit more.? But even only a few days a week of “on time” closing down is good to aim for. If you usually work and check emails/calls until 7pm, start pulling this back to 6.30pm for a while and so on.? (Taking into account your contracted working hours of course!)
• Grab my guide to Boundaries and Burnout if you haven’t already.

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Managing others

Most leaders I meet are very keen to understand how they can better support their people, they probably wouldn’t be talking to me if they weren’t!

This matters for many reasons, yes just because it’s the right thing to do but also because unhappy and unhealthy team members negatively impact the rest of the team.? Morale is reduced, productivity of the one person (and eventually more as they are pulled into the vortex) is affected, team toxicity and ultimately firm culture can suffer.

What should leaders be thinking about every day in relation to their teams?

1.???? Relationships

I’m interested in understanding the similarities and differences between the legal profession and other industries.? This week I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the military versus legal worlds and what ex-military leaders have said.

In Leadership Strategy and Tactics Field Manual:

Former US Navy Seal Jocko Willink says:

“the first thing a leader needs to do is something they should already be doing: build a relationship with his or her [people].? Having good relationships up and down the chain of command is one of the most important leadership elements for any successful team. And one of the reasons it is important is that it will help the leader manage the stress of his or her [people].”

The relationship matters because it’s in this space of trust and hopefully the right level of openness that the leader will encourage their team to come to them.? About worries, mistakes or concerns, or when they need to ask for support. ??The SRA highlights the importance of this “open door policy” in their guidance for solicitors.? It’s not a literal open door, but about creating that sense of safety to approach a leader and share what needs to be shared.

2.???? Reducing your team member’s stress levels.

Some (and perhaps many) may disagree about the extend a leader is responsible for the stress levels of the people they lead and manage.? On a simple and practical level even ignoring the human element, a healthy team is an effective team, a profitable team. ?How does a leader keep their finger on the pulse and recognise when their team is under pressure, or something has changed?

Jocko says:

“If you have a relationship with your people, you know them; if you know them, then you know when they are not acting like themselves. Perhaps they are less talkative, perhaps they are more easily aggravated by little things.? A change in behaviour can be a sign of stress.”

This part I thought was particularly interesting:

“So what do you do with a person who is struggling with stress? Give them a break. I wouldn’t tell my men I thought they needed a break (it might trigger shame and make them not want to go); I would tell them I had an important task that needed to get done and I trusted them to make it happen.”

This is what we are seeing more and more of in the legal profession, and why we need a new way of thinking, and quickly:

“I liken the human mind under stress to a car when the Check Engine light suddenly comes on.? Sure, the engine can keep going for a little while, but what the engine really needs is service.? If the engine gets serviced, it will be fine and return to normal, but if the engine is not serviced and the driver continues to push it, eventually the engine will burn out and fail catastrophically.

Don’t allow that to happen to your people. Know them. Watch them. And when they need a break, give it to them.”?

And I’d add, consider giving it to them in a way that empowers them rather than potentially exacerbating probable feelings of shame or failure.

This week I also had the pleasure of recording a podcast episode with ex US Army Blackhawk Helicopter pilot and military lawyer, Ben Grimes who now works in leadership consulting and coaching. ?Here’s a snippet of our discussion that really tells us everything we need to know about good leadership in my view!

You can find the whole interview here , I do recommend it for leaders and future leaders.

Takeaways:

• Lead by Example: Prioritise your own mental health and well-being to set a positive example for your team.? Tip here, if you’re usually a people pleaser and a “shield” for your team, this will not come easily but if you start by doing it FOR them, for their benefit even if not for your own, gradually it becomes easier.
• Promote Open Communication: Create a culture of trust and transparency where team members feel comfortable discussing their challenges and seeking support. Psychologically safe workplaces are being more frequently talked about and it really is going to be key in teams and firms of the future. Even if there is work to be done on the team as a whole, you as the leader (or you as a single team member) can create a sense of openness and help others feel they can talk to you.

I highly recommend Simon Sinek’s “Trusting Teams” video here .

• Monitor Team Dynamics: Know your team members, notice what happens to them when they are under additional stress. Stay attuned to changes in behaviour or performance that may signal underlying stress or disengagement with the work or the team.
• Empower Team Members: Stay agile in terms of offering support and resources to help team members manage stress effectively and prevent burnout.? Where can you involve them in something new (unless they have very high stress levels, this isn’t the time to add to their plate).? What skills or interests do they have that you can utilise for the good of the team but also to engage them more and increase their sense of value?

And finally,

As it’s Well-being week in Law from 6th-10th May, this week I am running a brand new series “The Empowered Lawyer” containing 5 short videos on identifying and our potential and creating a future roadmap - protecting mental health and wellbeing along the way!

Feel free to join us here , even if it’s later than 6th May, you can still access all of the videos, quizzes and exercises by signing up.

Hannah