The sports world was rocked last week when U.S. gymnast Simone Biles announced she was withdrawing from Olympic competition. What truly shocked commentators was the fact she was withdrawing for mental health reasons.
Biles is not the first athlete in the last few years to start publicly prioritizing mental healthcare. At the French Open tennis championship this summer, Naomi Osaka revealed she was withdrawing from the competition to protect her mental health. She cited mandatory press conferences as a major reason for this decision. She explained athletes are human and sometimes, “It’s OK to not be OK.”
Once Osaka opened the conversation and then Biles shared her struggles, the response from fellow athletes has exemplified compassion and empathy. Olympic legend Michael Phelps reiterated Osaka's sentiment, “We’re human beings. Nobody is perfect. So yes, it is OK not to be OK.” Phelps has publicly shared about his own mental health challenges over the years.
It’s disheartening to see some still lack compassion when it comes to the mental health of athletes, public figures, or even colleagues. But it seems we are finally witnessing a shift in consciousness when it comes to how we view others as a whole person, not just a role they play—whether on a public stage or in a shared office space.
This is an opportunity for conscious leaders to start a conversation with their teams: how can we better care for the whole person, including their mental health, so our organization and work can be stronger?
For too long, many employers viewed employees as a utilitarian tool to accomplish their goals. But most people want to feel that their work is important and making a difference; not just a paycheck or a mundane 9-5 grind. They want to know they are growing as a person, not just turning a profit for 8 hours every day.
The consciousness about the nature of work and what it means is shifting. Mental healthcare is an important part of this shift since we cannot effectively compartmentalize mental wellbeing from our daily activities.
It’s time to have open, honest conversation about how mental health can be supported for all team members. That doesn’t mean employers become responsible for their team’s overall mental health, but it means they support each team member’s work to ensure they are healthy and reaching their potential. This can be through expanding insurance to cover mental health treatment, providing regular professional coaching, and ensuring leaders have the training to create psychological safety on their teams.
Osaka’s and Biles’ decisions also display another important aspect of conscious leadership: no level of money or glory justifies putting your mental and physical health at stake. There are very few instances—perhaps only life-and-death situations—where subjugating one’s mental health is worth the outcome. Conscious leaders recognize the need to prioritize life, not just livelihoods.
This is a conversation that has just started, but it’s incredibly encouraging to see so many people in all sorts of industries recognizing the need to care for mental wellbeing. As conscious leaders, we can help continue to shift this consciousness around work and mental health by tending to our own teams.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
Contact her to develop your conscious leadership and transform your organization into the workplace of the future.
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