Why it pays to look after your mental health as a business leader

Mental strength is about so much more than being resilient or performing under pressure. It’s about rest, introspection and reaching out for support when necessary. For business leaders, this last part can be especially hard. Our team looks to us for direction, knowledge and bravery, which can sometimes feel like the only faces we’re allowed to show to the world. In reality, though, business leaders, founders and CEOs have an equal responsibility to take care of their mental wellbeing, as well as the performance of a company.?

Generally speaking, the atmosphere at the very top of a company tends to lay the groundwork for how things feel down the ranks. So, if a CEO makes rash decisions, punishes mistakes harshly or engages in unkind behavior, the likelihood is other people in less senior roles will do the same. On the flipside, if a CEO is committed to being honest about their wellbeing, asking for help when necessary and leading with kindness, chances are the whole workforce will follow suit. In this way, fostering a culture of positive vulnerability actually has a high chance of improving the performance of a business overall.?

Things like employee burnout and resignations are very expensive to deal with—and also very avoidable. By tracking and responding to employee mental health, being transparent about wellness and taking steps to make work a safe place to be, a business can benefit significantly from the financial perks of being an amazing place to work—before we’ve even got into what the company does or how well it’s doing.

But how do we make sure our leaders are caring for their mental wellbeing? Work is busy, after all, and wellness can easily drop to the bottom of the list when things ramp up. The team behind this month’s Mental Health Action Day have come up with an easy new way to remember to check in with yourself and others. It’s called A.S.K. Coined as “the new stop, drop and roll for emotional support”, A.S.K stands for “Acknowledge, Support, and Keep-In-Touch”. It encourages leaders and employees alike to be transparent when talking about how they feel, but also to remember to continue checking in with ourselves and others, even after things improve. Wellbeing doesn’t have an end point—it’s a circular road that needs consistent work.?

At the end of the day, leaders want what’s best for their business. But it’s useful to remember that looking after yourself is one of the most obvious ways to achieve this. A content and supported leader breeds a content and supported company. And that sounds like a truly great place to work.?

At Remotify , we partner with companies and individuals to create great remote work cultures that stand the test of time. If you’d like to find out more about our services, why not book a call with our friendly team? We’d be happy to help! ????