The Vulnerable Executive: Why Leaders Must Model Mental Fitness
How does a leader's physical health impact team morale?
A leader's visible commitment to their own mental and physical fitness directly sets the baseline for team culture and resilience. By actively sharing your wellness routines and demonstrating vulnerability, you empower your team to prioritize their health, ultimately reducing systemic burnout.
No matter what stage you’re in your public relations career, you are the future of our profession.
People look up to you to set an example. They look at every move we make; they analyze every email we send, how we lead meetings, and overall, how we conduct ourselves and treat others.
No one knows exactly how our work environment will evolve over the next year or decade, but one thing will always be consistent: our need to be mentally and physically fit to lead. Staying fit is essential to have the energy to build trust and rapport with your teams, which will increase respect, understanding, communication, and ultimately acting as trusted advisors to help your organizations meet their business objectives.
Staying connected with your employees will boost morale. It will help bring a human side to you and ultimately help grow those professionals to see you as the people they want to become.
Here are my three recommendations on how to do so.
First, analyze how you’re engaging with your teams and adjust as needed. Often, we revert to all-staff meetings in which we stand in front of a podium (virtual or physical) and deliver remarks. As we evolve in this new era, please identify ways to connect with your teams beyond one-to-many engagements. Ask your teams regularly to what degree they feel connected with you and each other.
Second, show your team how you’re staying mentally and physically fit and making yourself a priority. If you’re a public relations leader today, it wasn’t because of luck; it was in part because you’ve understood how to prioritize your mental and physical health. Many of you have established nutrition, mindfulness, and physical health habits. Where it’s going to yoga, using an at-home spin bike, hiring a personal trainer or nutritionist, many of you are investing in yourself. Share those stories with your team. Talk with your team about how you prioritize your health and wellness, especially if you’re using your company’s benefits in doing so.
Finally, open up. As many professionals are examining their personal and professional lives in the post-COVID era, this is an opportunity to reconnect with your teams, show your vulnerable side, and empower your team and give them the time to do so. Doing so will lead them to understand how important they are to you and ultimately show them how to treat their teams when they become managers and executives.
And ideally, you’re spending time with them in a way that positively impacts mental and physical health. Virtual walk and talk meetings are a great way to stay active with your team. Ask yourself how you prioritize yourself to grow in your career, pass that message along to your teams, and empower them to do the same.