Brian Eagar
October brings much joy to those in the southern hemisphere – the weather starts getting warmer and flowers are seen everywhere, especially in South Africa’s Western Cape which I call home.
October also marks World Mental Health Day which is celebrated on 10 October.
The 2024 theme for this important day is “It is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace”, and we couldn’t agree more. In fact, in one of my recent articles regarding the business-critical conundrum of 75% of executives considering quitting, I outlined how mental health issues are a massive reality for many business founders, entrepreneurs, and executives.
So, what do we need to be doing differently? It comes down to mindfulness.
A different view as a leader
As leaders, we often default to working late at night to ensure everything gets done, driven by our focus on bottom-line results. We run from one meeting to another or even have two online meetings at the same time! How can that be truly productive and efficient?
The truth is that approaching things differently will by default lead to better financial results.
The Centre for Creative Leadership believes that mindfulness in leadership enables you to be more courageous, intentional, and present to being the best you can be, as you listen to understand what’s called for in each moment. This allows for improved relationships in the workplace, which leads to team members being in a toward state, i.e. switched on, and more productive, with the resultant outcome being an improved bottom-line.
Mindfulness in action
While mindfulness doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, the good news is that, like most things in life, the more you practise it, the better you will get at it.
Recognising that you need to do things differently – whether this is because of your state of mental health, facing burnout, or the manner in which you are showing up at work (or at home) – is the first step.
Next is putting mindfulness into practice. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or involve traditional meditation; it’s just a moment of reflection to slow down that needs to be turned into a daily habit. It can be as simple as spending a moment reflecting on the day ahead as you put your feet down at the side of the bed, stopping to take three breaths somewhere in your busy day, or taking a few seconds to recognise what you are grateful for. To truly entrench mindfulness as a habit, it has to become a daily routine of regular reflection.
You can work towards doing bigger things more often and for longer, and will soon reap the benefits of feeling calmer, having fewer outbursts and being approached more readily by others. Outside of the workplace, it can help you be better at life in general.
Extend it beyond yourself
Critical to creating a workplace where calmness and collaboration are the order of the day, is ensuring that all team members buy into the concept of mindfulness. When they see how practicing mindfulness positively affects you as a leader and improves their interactions with you, they’re more likely to buy into the concept.
Consider introducing employee wellness programmes. I’m not talking about providing a 15-minute massage for team members once per year. Try putting programmes in place that proactively combat long hours, the risk of burnout, and absenteeism (which of course exacerbates both long hours and the risk of burnout). Making on-site facilities available for “downtime” and stress relief, and actively encouraging team members to use them, can make a significant difference in improving the workplace environment. It can start with something as simple as providing a peaceful garden where one can take a break, or a library of resources that employees can leverage, and build up to a gym area or a creche for team members’ children.
A well-constructed Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is an excellent starting point for businesses, leaders and boards looking to invest more in their greatest asset – their people – and is something we are currently undertaking with one of our biggest clients. An EVP can take the form of basics such as employee reward and recognition programmes, social responsibility initiatives, or time off. A robust EVP takes career development, remuneration, benefits, work environment and culture into account.
The future requires it – start now
Prioritising mental health in the workplace is no longer a “nice to have”. It is something that all of us as leaders should be practising and cascading to those around us.
If you are lucky enough to be taking a break over the festive season this year, I urge you to use this time to start practising mindfulness. Take those proverbial long walks on the beach. Read a book. Really listen to those around you at the dinner table. Not only will it increase your awareness of where you are mentally, it will also support you in starting 2025 off on the right mental foot.
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