Mental Health Awareness, A Needed Leadership Skill.

First, I am not a medical professional.  If I see possible mental health issues with others, I know my limits and will get HR or other qualified professionals involved.  However, leaders have special insight into the people around them.  Remember, you don’t need direct reports to be a leader.  Paying attention to the well-being of others is a great way to show leadership.

If we notice small changes in behaviour, we can start to engage before things get worse.  But, that small ripple of change is not easy to notice, and it won’t happen unless you are aware.  That awareness only comes if you are engaged with yourself and your environment.

Why don’t we talk about mental health?

With all the medical information and stories about mental health, it’s becoming a more talked about topic.  Sadly, it still isn’t a normal conversation though.  We still hear that one phrase, “we had no idea.”

Holding on to your identity.

The outdated definition of success leaves no room for failure or weakness and maintains the idea that we need to always hold it together.  If we show weakness in the corporate world, we think about our reputation and how we might lose that promotion.  We want people to think we are strong and will never break.  That identity we made for ourselves, doesn’t have any room for vulnerability.

Being vulnerable is not an easy step to take.  It takes confidence, courage and knowing the environment won’t judge you. Without taking this step, we may not open up about mental health.

We compare.

When we see people happy and energetic, we begin to compare ourselves to them.  Comparing how we feel internally, to how people present themselves externally is something we need to stop doing.  There might be deep pain in others and showing that would break their identity. 

When you bring everything together, you need the courage to break through the stigma of mental health.  There are many more reasons why we don’t talk about it.  We might not even know them till we understand ourselves more.

Build the right ecosystem.

Change the environment within yourself, your home and the workplace to make a real difference.  Good leaders have a long-lasting effect.

Make a 5 am lake.

Imagine you are looking at a local lake at 5 am, water looks like a sheet of glass.  You throw a rock into the water, and you can see every ripple it makes.  Go to the same spot later that afternoon and throw a rock.  You are not seeing those ripples anymore.  Why, because the environment is too busy. Those ripples are the effects of our thoughts and emotions.  Calm the environment and see the ripples.

Your goal is to create calm and clarity within yourself and your team.  All those moments when people are not themselves, not eating right or disengaged, will only get noticed if you raise your awareness and reduce the noise.  If you read my other articles, I talk a lot about self-awareness, mindfulness, and how to increase it.  You can only help yourself or others if you notice the issues.

Would I notice mental health issues in myself?

Do you know if you have mental health issues?  It might seem like an easy yes, but the reality is, we don’t always know.  We are caught up in our busy world, that we don’t know how our environment affects us.  For us to notice behaviour changes in others, we need to notice it in ourselves first.  Raising your own awareness is a way for you to notice your thoughts and how they make you feel.

Write down how you feel as often as you can.  Journaling allows you to have an outlet for your emotions and a way for you to reflect later.

Normalize the conversation.

If you write down and notice how you feel, you can now share those notes with others.  Start with your loved ones.  They need to know how you feel.  Be a leader with your loved ones and make it a normal conversation.

Now be a leader at the workplace.  Mental health needs to be a regular conversation and a topic of discussion during meetings.  Lots of meetings have safety moments, and mental health should be classified as a safety moment. Show courage in your meetings and bring up the topic. Even the simple exercise of defining mental health issues will give you insights into your team.

Creating safe spaces will help bring up the conversation.  Don’t just create one safe space, but the whole environment needs to be safe.

Change your filters.

Don’t mislabel people not engaging as them not caring. This is where leaders need to think differently.  Just because someone is suddenly disengaged, that doesn’t mean they have checked out or don’t want to be part of the team.  This is when you need to start asking some questions.  I would feel better knowing it was nothing vs never asking and missing a key moment.  You need to follow up and find out.

There is a notion that we shouldn’t involve ourselves in the lives of others, but I call that BS.  We work with people for 8 hours or more in a day, we must care.  I am not asking you to be a saviour but letting them know you are noticing something is a start. There is a balance between caring and over-doing it, so be a professional and find the balance.

A few things I do.

Not saying I am perfect, but here a few things I try.

·   Openly talk about how I handle my thoughts and emotions.

·   Random virtual video calls or walk-ups (when normal again) just to see how people are.

·   Bring up mental health in meetings.

·   Give people time in their day to reflect.

·   Encourage mindfulness but don’t force it.

Warning signs in others.

I normally only write from experience and how I see the world. However, this topic deserves some information from another source.

According to Mood Discovery and Anxiety Program, there are a few warning signs we can look out for in others.  I will only list a few, you can find the complete list here. 

·  Abnormal appearance.

·  Mood swings throughout the day.

·   Sick days are increasing.

·   Eating behaviour has changed.

·   Family member’s sleeping patterns have changed.

·   Always worrying and higher levels of anxiety.

·   Withdrawal from social gatherings.

·   Increased drinking.

Don’t act like a doctor and over-analyze someone.  The goal is to notice changes and have a conversation.  You aren’t there to solve the underlying problem but rather get people talking to qualified professionals.  Your HR department at your workplace will have resources to help.  For your home life, your family doctor is also a resource.

Final Thought

Promoting mental health awareness is a leadership skill that is needed in today’s world.  Create a safe environment, have enough awareness to notice issues and get people the right help.  We need to change the narrative, and leaders play an important role.  Strategies, operational plans and projects won’t go far if the well-being of our team members is not a priority.

Mental health issues won’t cater to your environment. Don’t make mental health just another talking point, make it a priority.

Take care.