Mental Health in the C-Suite — Leading with Empathy and Resilience

Neuroscientists with a giant chart of the human brain

Introduction

Throughout my career, I have witnessed the wreckage of strategies, the fatigue from pivoting, and the anxieties of steering organisations through uncertainty — this is the stressful situation burdening leaders’ mental capacity today. Yet even admitting personal struggles risks being seen as weak in workplace cultures that instead demand strength.

In this CxO-focused post, I attempt to lift the veil shrouding leaders’ mental health challenges, providing strategies for executives and boards to enable positive change. From what I have observed, authentic, empathetic leaders can spearhead a nurturing movement to dispel the lingering stigma that shackles too many.

Decoding C-Suite Mental Health

Before coming up with solutions, let’s face the harsh realities causing suffering that I’ve seen firsthand — the dangerous combination of factors harming the mental health of leaders today:

1. Extreme Work Demands Eroding Coping Bandwidth

Overwhelming workloads across global time zones allow little sleep and deny mind-body recovery. Endless video calls starve essential in-person bonds. Such demands strain emotional bandwidth — especially for heads of startups managing high…