Thinkers50: The Limits and Responsibilities of Leaders
May 29, 2024
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Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmonson, along with other guests, discuss the leader's role in destigmatizing mental health in the workplace. They explore vulnerability, authenticity, and the power of storytelling in fostering open dialogues. The conversation touches on navigating disagreements, embracing fallibility for growth, and building strong teams through emotional intelligence.
Leaders should model openness around mental health to challenge stigma.
Authentic vulnerability in leadership can improve trust and communication within organizations.
Deep dives
The Importance of Vulnerability in Leadership
Leaders are exploring the balance between vulnerability and strength when discussing mental health struggles in the workplace. Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson emphasizes the power of vulnerability as a strength. However, C-suite executives from big corporations fear judgment for discussing their mental struggles, reflecting a need for a shift in stigma. Leaders can create space for vulnerability, improving trust and communication within the organization.
Fostering Vulnerability and Authenticity in Leadership
Leaders are encouraged to authentically embrace mental health discussions without performative actions. Authenticity in leadership models genuine vulnerability, emphasizing actions over words. The conversation within organizations must extend beyond leaders to address systemic challenges and create spaces for open discussions on mental health.
Reframing Reality and Embracing Vulnerability in the Workplace
Creating space for vulnerability involves reframing reality and focusing on purpose and meaning in work. Leaders are urged to shift perceptions of vulnerability from weakness to strength. Building authentic relationships based on support and accountability can help foster open communication and trust within teams.
The Role of Storytelling and Cognitive Shifts in Leadership
Storytelling and personal narratives play a crucial role in shifting perceptions of vulnerability in leadership. Embracing experiential knowing and empathetic conversations can bridge generational gaps in understanding mental health challenges. Leaders are encouraged to access emotional experiences to connect authentically and cultivate a culture of openness and support in the workplace.
Leaders of organizations have a large responsibility when it comes to their own mental health, and of those in their organization. When they speak up about mental health, others can too. But vulnerability comes with risks. How can leaders model openness around mental health without bumping up against stereotypes and judgment?
In this roundtable conversation, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmonson – the pioneer of the concept of psychological safety at work; entrepreneur and best-selling author Peter Sims; and Megan Reitz of Oxford University and Hult International Business School about the leader’s role in speaking up and fighting mental health stigma.