Why High Performers Suffer in Silence

The Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Leadership: Why High Performers Suffer in Silence

The Leadership Paradox: Success on the Outside, Struggle on the Inside

A CEO walks into a room, exuding confidence, making data-driven decisions, ready to negotiate on very high stakes. The room looks at this brilliant leader. But within the confines of their own mind is the alternate reality - of sleepless nights, chronic anxiety, and a silent weight of expectation.

Leadership speaks of strength and resilience but hardly anyone acknowledges the mental and emotional turmoil, that many professionals never choose to mention or discuss. With success, the further up - the cliff faced by a person, the lonelier it becomes.

I am a Therapist and a coach to a few senior executives and having spoken to them, I know the difference in what comes out, when you speak to them privately vs when they are part of a seminar. And it must not come as a surprise to you, as to how many of them are suffering behind the veil of solidarity, they have to present, outside everyday.

The Silent Epidemic: Numbers tell the story

Widespread mental burnout: A survey by Deloitte established that 77% of the employees reported burnout at their current jobs; moreover, the executives and senior leaders were at higher risk (Deloitte, 2021).

Isolation, depression, and anxiety in leadership: According to a Harvard Business Review study, over 50% of CEOs feel lonely, while 61% believe loneliness negatively affects their job performance (Harvard Business Review, 2018).

Stigmas are on the rise: A Mind Share Partners survey found that 60% of employees who experienced symptoms of mood disorders felt unsafe talking about it at work (Mind Share Partners, 2019).

While this data brings into focus quite alarming trends, the corporate environment still equates -> vulnerability = weakness. The expectations from leaders to be untouchable create emotional bottlenecks, where stress underneath, continuously builds up into a burnout and/or depression, and then attacks the physical health.?

Why Leaders Cover-up Their Struggles?

The Weight of Expectations: The leader must be presumed a role model by getting people inspired and confident. The belief that admitting to an emotional struggle makes them appear "weak" fosters a reluctance to communicate the same.

The Isolation of Authority: As their careers rise, the leaders find is difficult to find peers who can truly understand their struggles. This isolation tends to internalise stress.

Productivity Trap: Success in high-performance culture is quite often measured by output and endurance. Many leaders are shamed into superlatives: to suffer through fatigue for the sake of, so called "performance."

The Culture of Over-achievement: Many leaders have been conditioned to equate worth with achievement.

The Mind-Body Impact: How Suppressed Stress Manifests

The Stress-Body Disconnection: Suppressed stress finds a way to manifest itself. Chronic stress is not just an emotional burden-but, it has real physiological consequences:

Cognitive burdens include: Decision fatigue and increasing trouble with creativity.

Physical symptoms range from insomnia and high blood pressure to digestive issues and emotional distance:

If there is invisible emotional distance, it would be because he carted joy with him during the journey, leaving a sense of unfulfillment in the wake of material success.?

Increased risk of mental health disorders: Added risk of rampant anxiety or depression, or even very extreme cognitive instances, could lead to the extent that they cross the line into suicidal thoughts.

Ignoring mental health is not just ignoring individual issues, but instead, issues that deal with an organised performance.?

Leaders working from a place of exhaustion can have poor decision-making ability, impaired/weak empathy level, ultimately risking - creating a toxic work environment.?

The Solution: Shifting the Narrative on Mental Health in Leadership

Here are few essential ways that we could to start with:

?1. Encourage Open Conversations

Organisations should create safe spaces where leaders can discuss their challenges without stigma.?Senior executives can set the tone by sharing their own experiences with stress and emotional well-being

2. Give Mental Health the Same Priority as Physical Health

Companies put money and energy into executive coaching and leadership training, but how often do they put money and resources into leadership mental wellness programs? We need to normalize & encourage regular audits, therapy resources, and mental health days.

3. Resilience Reframed

Resilience is not just managing one's emotion or fake a smile but handling it practically. The leaders must learn the art of emotional agility and allow the acknowledging of stress while processing it - reacting with clarity rather than reactivity.?

4. Build Support Networks for Leaders

Encourage Peer-to-peer leadership circles where executives can discuss challenges and breaks isolation. Create a culture of support by acknowledging and accepting vulnerability.?

5. Leverage Neuroscience and Mind Training Techniques

Leaders can utilise mindfulness, hypnotherapy, and subconscious reprogramming techniques to manage stress on a deeper level. Training the mind to respond rather than react to stress leads to emotional balance and sound decision-making.

Finally - A Call for Change

Leadership must not cause any mental health issues, at the very least.?

A truly successful leader is not one who suppresses emotions, but one who understands and manages these emotions appropriately and creates a supporting environment. If we really want to create a sustainable leadership cycle and thus a thriving workplace, we really must normalise the issue of mental health in the top tier of the workforce.

- Bhavish Ahuja (Transformational Coach on Mind and Emotions)

#Leadership #MentalHealth #Burnout #EmotionalWellbeing #CorporateWellness #ExecutiveCoaching