Why modern managers are the new custodians of mental health

Winston Kenneth, product team lead for BET Software

A valuable lesson that my years in team leadership have taught me is that there is a direct correlation between your team’s output and their emotional state. As leaders, we often think that the only link to a team member’s wellbeing is the salary they earn, and that paying them more will keep them happy. This line of thinking couldn’t be further away from today’s reality.

Managers of today need to see beyond the smile on a team member’s face because some of the most emotionally distressed people wear the biggest smiles. Seeing beyond means taking the time to check-in. Morning stand-ups must evolve from task updates to a holistic team catch-up. One-on-one meetings must become a more regular occurrence with a balanced focus on work and personal life. Now this can become a contentious topic as there is a very fine line between checking in and becoming overly involved. This is a tactic that leaders need to master.

Employees spend the bulk of their day at work. Some see the office as a place to escape from the harsh reality facing them in the outside world. As leaders, we should strive to make the work place a safe space emotionally instead of the place that pushes an emotionally distressed person over the edge. By no means am I implying that the office should be a place where we all sing ‘Kumbaya’, bearing in mind that we all have job to do, however, an emotionally distressed individual will only be detrimental to the overall objectives and output of the team, thus my earlier reference to the balance that leaders need to find.

Managers of old put up a very authoritarian front, extracting a sense of respect out of fear. The dynamics of leadership have changed. Caring cannot be seen as a weakness or flaw in management, but rather a tool in the manager’s arsenal to gaining true respect. Caring for your employee’s wellbeing should stretch further than their next salary.

You could be the lifeline that someone desperately needs or the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Choose wisely in every interaction you have as a leader. Foster an environment where it’s acceptable to speak about feelings in a respectful manner. Break the stigma attached to speaking about mental health issues. Again, you spend most of your active day at work, choose to make it the better part of someone’s day.