Tag: mental health

Prioritize Mental Health

As the weather thaws, so too is my brain. I’ll be honest, it has been a bad six months for me, and one can tell by my lack of postings and all the other balls I’ve managed to drop in professional circles. It should be no surprise that we are in the midst of a post-pandemic mental health crisis with the rise of serious mental health issues being through the roof with reports of severe depression and anxiety making a steep climb in the last few years. And unfortunately, these numbers suffer from a great deal of under reporting. The Center for Disease Reporting shows the rate of suicide in the US at record highs not seen since the 1940s. Chances are multiple people in your circles are grappling with mental health.

I’m in a better place. I’ve got help, I am working on my relationships, I’ve changed jobs for better balance. I’ve got a lot still to do, but I’m going in the right direction.

If you are dealing with mental health issues, please get help. And if you need someone to talk to who is still doing a lot of work, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Mental Health and Culture

I’ve been thinking a lot today of this article by McKinsey by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Leanne Williams “Mental health in the workplace: The coming revolution.” It is a fascinating read, not just because we are in the midst of this pandemic which has certainly caused a lot of mental health issues, including depression, in many people. I know I’ve certainly been wrestling with it myself. I’m hopeful this issue remains on the agenda as I think it will provide long term benefits to culture.

I’ve written on how we need to build processes to support our employees in issues like burnout. Mental health is definitely a wicked problem, and will require systematic efforts to address. I am glad that the senior leaders I work with are thinking about this, and I look forward to deepening the conversation.