How can leaders support their employees' mental health?
WHAT DEFINES A GOOD LEADER? LOOK FOR THESE SIX QUALITIES
Modern business challenges can require new approaches. Leadership will need to evolve in order to continue to guide organisations in tomorrow's world of work. But what are the characteristics of a good modern leader in the workplace - and how can organisations develop them?
Many studies draw parallels between effective leadership and solid organisational performance. But whether they’re a junior manager or a senior executive, the qualities that leaders need are changing.
Nearly 1,500 HR professionals ranked leadership development as the number one priority for 2025, with managers feeling 'overwhelemed' by the expansion of their responsibilities. In today’s unpredictable world, you must combine traditional leadership skills with new abilities. So, what does an effective modern leader look like?
1. Remember what makes a good leader
Before looking at the new skills future leaders may need, it is worth reflecting on what a leader actually is.
What are the qualities of a good leader? It’s not what you may think.
Being in charge of colleagues does not necessarily make you a ‘leader’. Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg explains: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield believes that good leadership is: “Not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it. Especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter.”
There may be varying opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of leaders. But overall, most people believe that great leaders motivate their team members to perform their best and achieve common goals.
What traits do you need to achieve this in the modern workplace?
2. Use blended leadership styles for a VUCA world
Stacey Philpot from Deloitte Consulting maintains that the core skills needed historically in leadership roles have remained unchanged.
“These skills allow someone to become a leader faster than their peers. This is even true in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment,” she says.
The core skills for leading in a VUCA environment include:
- Pattern recognition
- Motivation
- Agility
- Emotional intelligence
- Ability to understand, control and express emotions
This represents psychological assessments of 23,000 senior leaders globally over the past 25 years.
Consider introducing servant leadership:
Leaders need new styles of leadership to deal with changing cultures. Being comfortable with not having the answer and owning failure can create an environment of trust and openness.
Collectively, these behaviours form ‘servant leadership’. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) defines servant leadership as emphasising behaviours and values such as:
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Leading by example
These are instead of opting for a more authoritative, ‘command-and-control’ leadership style. Leaders create the conditions for team members to excel by displaying vulnerability. But given the stigma around servant leadership, how can organisations encourage it?
How to combat stigma surrounding servant leadership:
Alsu Polyakova, HR Leader for GE Healthcare, says reducing stigma around servant leadership will take a specific strategy. Most importantly frequent performance appraisals for leaders.
“We give leaders lots of opportunities for self-reflection, so they understand how they behave,” she says. GE Healthcare’s most successful leaders help to encourage behavioural change, Polyakova says. The company measures success by how well employees rate leaders on achieving GE Healthcare’s ‘cultural pillars’. These pillars include inspiring trust and empowering employees.
3. Create a culture of trust in the workplace
Gaining workers’ trust is more important than ever. One way to build trust is for leaders to take action on issues such as climate change. 71 percent of employees consider their CEOs’ social awareness as critically important, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.
Social awareness may yield rich rewards. The Edelman poll shows that workers who trust their employers are far more engaged and remain more loyal than their more sceptical peers.
Leadership styles are clearly changing. The most effective leaders will need to tailor their styles to suit different scenarios, says Professor Sattar Bawany. “Leaders need a broad repertoire of management styles and the wisdom to know when each style should be used,” he says. “In crisis scenarios like cybersecurity breaches, for example, leadership should be authoritarian because the scenario is unstructured.”
4. Adapt your leadership style for different generations
Managers must also balance leadership styles to suit different generations. Modern workplaces will soon house up to five generations under one roof. Therefore, there will be many people with differing preferences on leadership style.
As of 2023, millennials are the biggest group in the UK workforce, at 35 percent. Modern leaders must mix old and new leadership styles that meet the needs of younger generations. Doing so will future proof organisations. However, new leadership approaches cannot come at the expense of alienating older workers.
5. Commit to lifelong learning
With the workplace evolving so rapidly, leaders cannot rely on past experience alone to get by. Ben Farmer, Head of HR at Amazon UK agrees: “Experience is not always synonymous with wisdom and judgement. And naivety doesn’t always engender novel thinking and openness to change.”
Organisations should look for leaders who understand the future as well as those with experience. “Success comes from the ability to combine understanding of exciting, new trends with the experience required to put that knowledge into action,” says Farmer.
But what is the right balance? There is no one-size-fits-all approach when balancing experience with adaptability. Achieving the right balance will mostly depend on the organisation and the sector it operates in.
6. Be conscious of culture
Organisational culture is an important factor. Risk-averse firms may prefer experience over novel thinking. Leaders may be fearful of a backlash from stakeholders should novel thinking fail. To lower risk, companies should seek leaders who use both scientific evidence and intuition when making decisions.
Ultimately, there’s no single blueprint for an effective modern leader. Each organisation must tailor their approach to leadership development. There must be a focus on organisational culture, industry nuances and employee mix.
But above all, leaders should recognise that today’s reality may be old news tomorrow.
For more expert advice, take a look at the following articles:
BLOG
HOW CAN LEADERS SUPPORT THEIR EMPLOYEES’ MENTAL HEALTH?
Mental health was once a taboo topic in the workplace. Now many high-profile campaigns have encouraged a more open attitude towards mental health. As employees increasingly talk about their mental wellbeing, do leaders need to be better prepared to support them?
Recognise the scale of the challenge when it comes to mental health at work
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, 81% of workplaces have increased their focus on managing mental health, according to Spill. However, the same study also notes that one in three employees feel wellbeing initiatives don’t meet expectations. Employees are therefore left feeling like they would prefer more support.
A Hays study in Australia & New Zealand found:
- Just 42% of the local workforce rate their mental health as positive.
- A 63% decline in good mental health compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Of course, many workplace mental health challenges were already in place well before the pandemic. According to Mercer and Business in the Community, 39% of UK employees experienced poor mental health in 2019. These mental health problems were due to work, up from 36% the previous year.
Meanwhile, 2019 research by AIA Vitality found that more than half of respondents experienced work-related stress. AIA Vitality observed this trend in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
How to manage mental health in the workplace
Employers have a responsibility to address employee wellbeing challenges within their workforce. Clearly, leaders need skills to identify issues and support employees with mental health and wellbeing.
Mark Edgar, Co-Founder of future foHRward in Canada, emphasises the importance of leadership skills. These skills promote awareness and confidence in managing workplace mental health.
Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, a US licensed therapist and leadership advisor, highlights the key to effective leadership. He explains that people can demonstrate effective leadership by creating respectful and caring relationships. These relationships form the foundation of a mentally healthy workplace culture.
Research by Mind Share Partners reveals that many organisations struggle with managing mental health in the workplace. This struggle persists despite the growing awareness from leaders. Only 41% of employees feel mental health is a priority at their workplace - and even fewer view their leaders as advocates for mental health.
This imbalance marks the need for a cultural shift. Employees should feel safe and supported in discussing mental health at work.
Leaders should consistently review and update organisational processes and policies to create such an environment. Treacy Webster, Director of Talent Management at Ceuta Group, discusses normalising support mechanisms. Support initiatives could include mental health first aiders and wellness programs.
These efforts can help to reduce stigma and increase awareness and accessibility to mental health resources. Additionally, support mechanisms promote a workplace where employees feel empowered to seek and offer support when needed.
Share personal experiences with mental health at work, but only if you can do so authentically
Leaders can support their teams by openly discussing their own mental health challenges. Doing so fosters a culture of openness and trust. According to Kelly Greenwood, CEO of Mind Share Partners:
“Having leaders open up about their mental health challenges is a hugely powerful mechanism. This openness reduces stigma since it flips the stereotype on its head.”
Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio emphasises that leaders should be open about mental health. Essentially, leaders should treat mental health similarly to family, physical and other challenges. However, Ken does add that leaders need to be “thoughtful regarding when it makes sense to share these aspects of themselves”.
Mark Edgar agrees, noting the importance of authenticity in leadership. People build trust through genuine sharing. But leaders should ensure their experiences align with their comfort levels and the company’s supportive environment.
At Wellhub, senior leaders have led by example. These leaders have shared their mental health journeys to demonstrate understanding and encourage open dialogue among all employees.
Pietro Carmignani, CEO of Wellhub Europe, believes such openness fosters a supportive workplace. Employees can therefore feel empowered to discuss their own challenges, both mentally and physically. That said, respect for leaders' privacy remains crucial, ensuring openness is voluntary and supportive.
Promote wellbeing for staff with MHFA
Training individuals, including leaders, as mental health first aiders (MHFA) is crucial. MHFAs reduce stigma and promote mental health awareness in workplaces. According to Jilly Calder from Atkins, effective MHFAs possess qualities like understanding and calmness to support their colleagues.
Atkins has implemented an MHFA programme involving training from MHFA England and ongoing refresher courses. Jilly Calder is the company’s Vice President of HR, UK & Europe. She says that while they do have a number of senior leaders who are MHFAs, they have tried also to have a mix of team members from all levels.
Following a campaign raising awareness around mental health and the role of MHFAs, Atkins advertised programme sign ups. All MHFA volunteers undertake a two-day training course on behalf of MHFA England. If someone is an existing MHFA, they receive refresher training every two years.
This initiative has led to a decline in occupational health referrals and an increase in MHFA interventions. Calder highlights the importance of diversity in MHFA representation, particularly encouraging participation from the BAME community to better support all colleagues long term. Pietro Carmignani emphasises that while MHFA training is valuable, all leaders should also undergo awareness training to effectively identify and support mental health challenges.
Take responsibility for staff wellbeing: Pietro Carmignani emphasises that internal leadership must drive ongoing support for the wellbeing of staff. Despite external support, Jilly Calder underscores Atkins' responsibility for employee wellbeing in the working environment.
Introduce workplace mental health programmes: Companies could also consider introducing employee resilience programmes to combat workplace mental health issues. However, it’s important to first find out if these programmes suit the needs of the employees. These programmes can have benefits. However, some programmes can also suggest that workplace mental health challenges are the employees' fault, which could be problematic. Greenwood warns that organisations need to consider the company’s culture, policies or processes.
Focus on a positive company culture: Dolan-Del Vecchio stresses that effective leadership and a healthy organisational culture are crucial for supporting mental health. Webster concludes that fostering an open company culture is essential for employees to feel comfortable sharing their challenges.
Ultimately, promoting good mental health at work increases productivity and reduces sickness absence.
Interested to learn more about inclusivity and employee wellbeing?
AUTHOR
Berman Zhigalko
DE&I Consultant, FAIRER Consulting
Berman is an experienced professional in diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as talent advisory.
He has supported and led several client projects around DE&I audit and talent acquisition, with his key interest lying in building DE&I strategy, as well as DE&I behavioural change and activities.
Currently, Berman supports various clients across the private sector and is exploring new ways to embed DE&I into various processes within organisations.