Post-Pandemic Leader: promoting health & wellbeing (part 1)

Every three-and-a-half minutes, somebody in the European Union dies from work-related causes. Shocking! Isn’t it? Yet after 18 months of pandemic pressure on our physical and mental wellbeing, 74% of organizations have NOT increased their spending in this area.

How short-sighted. Health and wellbeing form the foundation of being a great leader. In this article, I would like to share the 4 things that you can do as a leader to promote health and wellbeing for you and your people. This is part 1 of the Post-Pandemic Leader series.

Before we go and successfully lead others, we must first understand ourselves and appreciate the balance between our mental, physical, and even social states.

A close call in 1979

This is a topic that I care deeply about – and it’s quite personal to me. My realization came when I was young. As a child, I grew up in a family with regular outdoor activities, good food and plenty of interactions with family and friends. Little did I know this was not the norm. As any na?ve young boy does, I took it for granted.

Suddenly, when I was 18 years old, it was taken away from me. It was the summer of 1979 and I had just graduated from high school. What seemed initially like the flu turned out to be something far more serious. Following an Interrail trip in Europe, I developed a high fever and severe fatigue. I recall losing so much weight in such a short space of time before being taken to hospital. After a few days, I was moved into an isolation ward as the doctors were suspicious that I may have been infected with an unknown tropical disease. My blood samples deteriorated, and I continued to lose weight.

When I observed my parents whispering with the doctors and being offered the opportunity to speak with a priest, I realized it was serious. However, I remained defiant that I would indeed pull through and recover. I was convinced that my healthy, wholesome lifestyle would protect me against any challenge. And so it was. My body slowly reacted to the disease and began to overcome it. We never did fully understand what happened that summer but I’m fortunate and forever thankful it ended the way it did.

I was able to start my first year at university after Christmas! I was still thinner than before but on the road to recovery. The whole experience convinced me more than ever to live a full yet wholesome life. My principle from that point on was: “everything in moderation”.

The importance of balance

Soon after starting my first corporate job, I realized many compromises had to be made. Work was such a dominant part of life that unless I counterbalanced it with coping strategies, it would compromise my wellbeing.

I took up Yoga, Pilates and explored the teachings of Ayurveda. Simply emphasising a joy for life helped me to see my jobs in a more balanced way.

My childhood played a role in helping me to see the bigger picture. However, I noticed that not everyone was able to develop coping strategies around me. At the time, it was an individual pursuit for many because companies simply didn’t “get it”. Only in the last twenty years has there been an increased awareness about how important it is for companies to destigmatize. Society and corporations seem to be in a much better place now. I am of course delighted that my successor at bp and the new CEO wholeheartedly embrace this agenda too.?

The role of a leader

The reality is that companies are only able to provide frameworks, funding and support mechanisms for health and wellbeing at work. Ultimately, it’s up to each leader to embrace and promote a better workplace. There is no panacea – the key is to start with yourself!

Here are my top tips for being a leader that starts with the self.

1. Educate yourself

Study the key pillars of wellbeing and evaluate your habits and routines against best practices. You don’t have to be perfect; no one is. However, it is important that you are at least aware and then consciously choose your habits accordingly. The most important pillars for me are:

• Sleep: Aim to be in bed before 10:30 and rise early in the morning. Learn how to relax your breathing before bed and if you can - buy a great mattress.
• Exercise: Start and end the day with stretches. It works wonders when done regularly. Otherwise, pick the kind of exercise that appeals to you – walking and hiking are all it takes.
• Nutrition: Everything in moderation. Chew deliberately and aim to finish eating heavy foods before 5 pm.
• Positive thinking: Do not dwell on the past – look forward – try to see the good in things.?When faced with a difficult situation, give yourself 24 hours to move on.
• Fun with friends: Surround yourself with people whose company you enjoy. Distance yourself from people who drain your energy. Be yourself with your friends and be generous with them. Remember, science has proven that it’s difficult to maintain more than seven close relationships with friends - quality, not quantity!

2. Calibrate regularly

It’s important to regularly assess your state of wellbeing and calibrate accordingly. Not only is this a helpful thing to do personally, but it can also help better understand where your people are at too. I like to start meetings by having each person share their “wellbeing score” (out of 10). It may initially be difficult for people to share if they’re having a bad day but over time this helps to build psychological safety in teams too.?

As a leader, I think it’s also important that you can recognise the impact you have on the people around you. If you’re having a bad day or you’re not in a great mood (for whatever reason), perhaps it’s better to work from home or reschedule a meeting. Self-care matters and no meeting is sometimes better than a bad meeting.

3. Host a “wellbeing” event at least twice a year

To promote health and wellbeing, open communication is key. Aside from regular calibration, it is helpful to have larger and more detailed discussions with your people. These should be well prepared and focus on one or two topics only – to allow for a full discussion over a couple of hours. It’s a chance for the team to learn something new and challenge each other’s thinking. It can be great for generating new ideas too! A few starter topics could be addressing life events such as buying a house, menopause, or dealing with a loss in the family. As a leader, encourage engagement, practice active listening and don’t be afraid to share your vulnerabilities.?

4. Walk the talk

Simply said, like anything in life and leadership – your actions speak louder than your words. Share your journey with your teams and invite them in. Describe the journey of discovery that you have gone through, the learnings you have made and the gaps that you still have. Importantly, live the habits and routines that you preach.?

A call to action

I would love to hear how you get on with the four steps above and please share any other helpful ideas. Finding personal balance will give you a secure platform to become a great leader!

Let me leave you with a final thought based on ancient Ayurvedic teachings:

“Illness arises wherever the balance of forces is disturbed, within the body, in interpersonal relationships or the relationship between man and nature”