October 7, 2025 • 19 mins
Your top performer just quit without a backup plan. They're driving Uber while they figure out their next move. Why? Because the pain of staying became greater than the pain of change.
In 2025, 35% of Gen Z workers will quit without another job lined up, and 1 in 4 employees have considered quitting due to mental health concerns. The gig economy changed everything—your people have options now, and being a "nice boss" isn't enough.
Host Colby Morris reveals the critical difference between bosses who lose people and people-first leaders who retain them through the contrasting stories of David (who lost his top performer despite "checking in") and Marcus (who spotted real struggles because he actually knew his team).
You'll discover:
- The three warning signs employees are struggling—and why you can only spot them if you know your people
- A four-step conversation framework for addressing mental health without overstepping
- Why "Are you okay?" fails and what to ask instead
- The business case: workplaces prioritizing mental health see 13% higher productivity
The truth: Being nice doesn't equal being connected. People-first leaders know their people well enough to recognize when "I'm fine" isn't true.
Key Questions This Episode Answers:
- How do I support employee mental health without being invasive?
- What are the warning signs of burnout and mental health struggles?
- How has the gig economy changed leadership dynamics in 2025?
- What's the difference between a boss and a people-first leader?
- How do I have mental health conversations without crossing boundaries?
- What can leaders do versus what requires professional help?
- Why do employees quit without backup plans and what does it mean for me?
Subscribe, leave a review, and share with other leaders. That's how we make a bigger impact on workplace culture.
Connect with Colby Morris
Keynote speaking, coaching, and training: nxtstepadvisors.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris
About Things Leaders Do
Practical, people-first leadership strategies for managers who want real results. Host Colby Morris shares insights from his executive coaching practice to help you build stronger teams and create workplaces where people actually want to stay.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
People first leadership.
Actionable strategies, realresults.
This is Things Leaders Do withColby Morris.
SPEAKER_01 (00:10):
Your top performer just quit.
No job lined up, no backup plan.
They're driving for Uber whilethey figure out their next move.
And you're sitting therethinking, why would anybody
leave a stable job withoutsomething else lined up?
That's financial insanity,right?
But here's what you're missing.
(00:31):
For them, the pain of stayingwith you became greater than the
pain of change.
Even with all that financialuncertainty.
There's a quote that goessomething like, Change happens
when the pain of staying thesame becomes greater than the
pain of change.
Yeah, that's exactly what'shappening with your team, right?
(00:53):
Welcome to leadership in 2025,where the gig economy has
completely flipped the powerdynamic between leaders and
their teams, where people willliterally take on financial risk
rather than stay in a workplacethat's destroying their mental
health.
Hey leaders, this is ColbyMorris, and this is Things
(01:16):
Leaders Do.
Today we're talking aboutsomething that's costing
organizations billions ofdollars and driving away their
best people.
And most leaders, they have noidea they're the problem.
Let me paint you a picture ofwhat's happening right now.
We've got some statistics thatshould wake you up.
(01:37):
One in four employees, that's25% of your workforce, have
considered quitting their jobsbecause of mental health
concerns.
And 7% of those, they actuallydid quit because of it.
Here's one that really floorsme, though.
Nearly half of employees saylife was easier during COVID-19
(02:01):
than it is right now in 2025.
Think about that for a second.
The pandemic, with all its chaosand uncertainty and everything
we went through, employees aresaying that felt easier than
what we're dealing with today.
Here's why this matters for youas a leader.
35% of Gen Z workers would leavetheir current job even without
(02:25):
another job lined up.
They'll drive for DoorDash.
They'll do Uber, Uber Eats,they'll pick up gig work,
they'll figure it out.
Because the gig economy gavethem options that just didn't
exist 10 years ago.
Pre-COVID, if you wanted toleave a job, you better have
something else lined up first.
(02:46):
But now they've got a safety netmade of gig work, and that
changes absolutely everythingabout how you need to lead.
So here's where most leaders aregetting this completely wrong.
They think being nice equalssupporting mental health.
They say things like, My door isalways open, and we care about
(03:09):
work-life balance, or we have anEAP program.
And then they sit therewondering why people are still
burning out and quitting.
Let me tell you about twoleaders I want you to picture.
We'll call them David andMarcus.
David is a boss.
Marcus is a people first leader.
And the difference?
(03:30):
It's not about being nice.
Both of them are nice people.
David manages the marketingteam.
Lately, he's noticed that one ofhis top team members, Rachel,
well, she's been, I don't know,off.
She missed some meetings, andher slack responses are pretty
short, almost terse.
(03:50):
Her last project left a lot tobe desired, and certainly not
what she usually produces.
And Dave, being a nice guy,sends her a message.
Hey Rachel, just checking in,you okay?
Rachel responds with, Yeah, I'mfine, just got a lot going on.
Thanks for checking in.
And so David moves on.
I mean, he asked, and she'sfine, right?
(04:13):
So he just went back to focusingon work.
He was being nice.
He checked in three weeks later,Rachel gave her two weeks'
notice.
She didn't even have another joblined up.
She just decided to freelancefor a while and figure it out as
she goes.
David was caught completely offguard.
Now let's look at Marcus.
(04:35):
Marcus has a team member namedJames who's showing the same
exact signs.
Withdrawal, shorter responses,work quality slipping just a
bit.
But here's the difference.
Marcus knows James, like, reallyknows him.
Like, he knows James is usuallythe first one to jump into Slack
conversations.
He knows James takes real pridein his work and rarely turns in
(04:58):
anything that needs revision.
He knows James is an early riserwho does his best work before 10
a.m.
So when Marcus notices thesechanges, he doesn't just fire
off a quick Slack message.
He schedules a one-on-one.
Not the regular weeklyone-on-one, an additional one.
And he doesn't start with, areyou okay?
(05:19):
He starts with what he'sactually observed.
Hey James, I notice you've beenquieter in team discussions
lately, and you missed ourMonday stand-up last week.
That's not like you.
What's going on, man?
James gives the same responseRachel did.
I'm fine, just a lot going on.
(05:40):
But Marcus, he knows that's notthe whole story.
Because he knows James.
He digs a little deeper, butcarefully.
I hear you saying you're fine,but the patterns I'm seeing
don't really match the James Iknow.
You don't have to tell meeverything that's going on, but
I want you to know I'm here ifwork is contributing to whatever
(06:01):
you're dealing with.
And that's it.
No prying into his personalbusiness, no trying to play
therapist, just acknowledgingthat something's different and
creating space for an honestconversation.
James paused.
And then he opened up justenough.
Honestly, I've been feelingpretty overwhelmed.
(06:23):
The workload has been reallyintense, and I'm having trouble
disconnecting after work.
Now, Marcus has something he canactually work with.
Not because he forced it out ofJames, but because he knew his
person well enough to recognizewhen I'm fine wasn't true.
Let me give you three signs thatsomeone on your team is
struggling with in their mentalhealth.
And here's the key (06:44):
you you can only spot these if you actually
know your people.
Sign number one, withdraw.
They used to engage in teamdiscussions and now they're
silent.
They don't.
They used to volunteer forprojects.
Now they're just doing theminimum.
(07:05):
They used to be present.
Now they're just there.
Sign two, anger or irritability.
Small things that never botheredthem before suddenly trigger big
reactions.
They're short with teammates.
They're defensive aboutfeedback.
Their emotional regulation isjust off.
And sign three is isolation.
(07:27):
They used to grab lunch with ateam.
Now they eat alone.
They used to join the virtualhappy hours.
Now they're always busy.
They're pulling back fromconnection.
Now here's what separates a bossfrom a people first leader.
A boss sees these signs andthinks, performance problem.
(07:48):
A people first leader sees thesesigns and thinks, my person is
struggling.
Same behaviors, completelydifferent response.
All right, so how do youactually have these
conversations without crossingthe line into being invasive or
inappropriate?
Here's the framework I teachleaders.
(08:08):
Step one, observe and name whatyou see.
It's then like, you know, I'venoticed you've been quieter in
meetings lately.
I've seen you're working laterthan usual.
Your work is still good, but itseems like it's taking more
effort than it used to.
Step two, ask an open question.
(08:31):
Not are you okay?
Because that's too easy todeflect.
Try, well, what's driving that?
Or help me understand what'schanged.
Or what can I do to support youbetter right now?
And step three, create space,don't force entry.
(08:52):
This is where people firstleaders know when to stop
digging.
Look, you're not theirtherapist, okay?
You're not their parent, you'retheir leader.
Your job is to just create anenvironment where they can be
honest, okay, not to extracttheir their personal story.
If they open up, great.
Listen without judgment.
(09:13):
But if they don't, that's okaytoo.
You've signaled to them that yousee them and that you care and
that matter.
And then step four, focus onwhat you can control.
You can't fix their personalproblems, but you can adjust the
workload.
You can encourage them to usetheir PTO.
(09:34):
You can connect them withresources like your EAP.
You can be flexible about theirhours or location.
Here's what this sounds like inpractice.
James, I obviously can't fixwhat's going on in your personal
life, and you don't have to tellme about it.
But what I can do is look atyour workload and see if there's
anything that we can shift.
Would that help?
(09:54):
That's people first leadership.
You're not trying to be theirsavior.
You're trying to remove barriersthat are within your control.
Now, some of you are thinking,that sounds nice, Colby, but I
have a business to run.
I can't be everyone's emotionalsupport system.
You're right, you can't be.
But here's what you need tounderstand: ignoring mental
(10:16):
health is costing you way morethan addressing it would.
Their employees are 2.3 timesless likely to report feeling
stressed, and they have 2.6times higher likelihood of
reduced absenteeism.
(10:37):
On the flip side, yeah.
Employees with unresolveddepression experience a 35% drop
in productivity.
You want me to say that oneagain?
A 35% drop in productivity?
That's costing organizationsabout$210 billion.
Not million,$210 billionannually in lost productivity.
(11:02):
Centiism, medical expenses.
And here's the kicker (11:05):
62% of employees are disengaged at work
right now.
That's leading to an$8.8trillion with a T in global
productivity loss every year.
You know it's cheaper than allthat?
Actually annoying your peopleand creating an environment
(11:27):
where they feel safe beinghonest about their struggles.
But here's why most leadersaren't getting this right.
Trust.
Or the lack of it.
42% of employees worry thattheir career would be negatively
impacted if they talked aboutmental health concerns at work.
Think about that.
Nearly half your team thinksbeing honest about their mental
(11:48):
health could hurt their career.
And let's be honest, they'reprobably right in a lot of
workplaces because there areleaders out there who see mental
health struggles as weakness,who see someone taking a mental
health day as, you know,slacking off, who see therapy as
something people do when theycan't handle normal stress.
(12:09):
Those are bosses, not leaders.
People first leaders createpsychological safety.
And psychological safety doesn'tmean everyone's comfortable all
the time.
It means people can be honestabout their struggles without
fear of punishment or judgment.
You want to know why only 13% ofemployees told their managers
that their mental health wassuffering due to work demands?
(12:31):
Because 87% of them didn't trusttheir leader enough to have that
conversation.
That's not a mental healthproblem.
It's a leadership problem.
Let me give you some practicalexamples of what people first
leadership looks like when itcomes to mental health.
First, it's noticing patterns.
(12:51):
Not just one bad day, but trendsover time.
Not just missing one deadline,but a shift in someone's normal
performance over the weeks.
It's regular one-on-ones whereyou ask about the person, not
just the project.
Where how are you doing?
It's a genuine question, not apleasantry before you dive into
(13:13):
business.
It's flexibility when itmatters.
When someone says they need tostart later because they have a
therapy appointment, you don'tmake them feel guilty about it.
When someone needs to work fromhome more often for a few weeks,
you trust them and manage theirwork.
It's modeling healthy behavior.
What does that mean?
(13:33):
Well, it means you take yourPTO, you disconnect after hours,
you talk openly about theimportance of mental health
because your team is watchingwhat you do, not just hearing
what you say.
And it's knowing your limits.
Again, you're not a therapist.
You're not trying to diagnose ortreat mental health conditions,
(13:54):
but you can be a human who caresabout another human.
That's not overstepping.
That's just being a decentperson.
Remember Marcus and James fromearlier?
Here's what happened after thatconversation.
Marcus didn't try to fix James'life, but he did three specific
things.
First, he looked at James'workload and realized James had
(14:15):
been assigned three majorprojects simultaneously because
he was so reliable.
So Marcus redistributed one ofthose projects to another team
member who had the capacity.
Second, he encouraged James toactually use his PTO.
Not in a you should take avacation kind of way, but hey,
(14:35):
I'm blocking off three days onyour calendar right now, and I
want you to fully disconnect.
That kind of way.
Third, he followed up.
Not every day, not in a you knowa hovering kind of way, but in
their next one-on-one, he simplyasked, How are things feeling
compared when we talked a fewweeks ago?
That's it.
No grand gestures, not trying tobe the hero, just practical
(15:00):
support.
Genuine follow through.
James is still on Marcus's teamtwo years later.
When Rachel left David's team,three other people followed her
out the door within six months.
You know why?
Because word spreads.
Your team talks to each other.
They know who the people firstleaders are and who the bosses
(15:22):
are.
So here's your assignment forthis week.
And it's simple, but it's hard.
I want you to really observeyour team.
Not their work output.
Them.
Who's showing up differentlythan they used to?
Who's quieter?
Who's who's more irritable?
Who's isolated themselves?
(15:43):
And then, and this is the hardpart, I want you to have one
conversation with one person whoyou've noticed has changed.
And use that framework.
Observe and name what you see.
Ask an open question.
Okay, create space withoutforcing entry.
Just focus on what you cancontrol.
Just one conversation.
(16:04):
Not trying to save the world,not trying to connect with one
human who happens to work foryou.
It's people first leadership.
It's not complicated, but itdoes require you to actually pay
attention to your people aspeople, not as productivity
machines.
Look, we're in a mental healthcrisis.
(16:25):
The statistics are staggering.
The business impact is massive.
And the human costs isdevastating.
But here's what I need you tounderstand.
You can't solve this by justbeing nice.
You can't solve this by havingbetter benefits.
You can't solve this by puttinga mental health poster in the
(16:46):
break room.
You solve this actually knowingyour people.
By creating an environment wherehonesty doesn't come with
consequences.
By recognizing that your job asa leader isn't just to get work
done, it's to create conditionswhere people can do their best
work without destroying theirmental health in the process.
(17:07):
Gig economy changed everything.
Your people have options now.
They can leave.
And if staying with you meanssacrificing their mental health,
they will leave.
Even without a backup plan.
Because sometimes the unknownfeels safer than the question
is, are you going to be the kindof leader people run from or the
(17:31):
kind of leader people want tostay with even when things get
hard?
If your organization needs helpcreating a culture that actually
supports mental health, not justtalks about it, hey, I'd love to
help.
I work with leaders and teamsthrough keynote speaking,
executive coaching, leadershiptraining to build people first
cultures that drive realresults.
(17:52):
You can connect with me onLinkedIn or visit my website at
Nextepadvisors.com.
No E, just NXT, nextstepadvisors.com.
And hey, if this episoderesonated with you, would you do
me a favor?
Subscribe to the show whereveryou listen to podcasts and leave
a review.
And share this episode withanother leader who needs to hear
(18:13):
it.
That's how we grow thiscommunity and how we get the
word out to make a bigger impacton the workplace.
Because the more leaders who getthis stuff right, the better
workplaces become for everyone.
And remember, keep leadingpeople, not just managing their
output.
Okay.
Creating safety instead of justbeing nice and knowing your team
(18:35):
well enough to recognize whenI'm fine isn't fine.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader, be
sure to subscribe to the podcastand listen to next week's
episode.
Until next time, keep working onbeing a better leader by doing
the things that leaders do.
People first leadership.
Actionable strategies, realresults.
This is Things Leaders Do withColby Morris.
SPEAKER_01 (00:10):
Your top performer just quit.
No job lined up, no backup plan.
They're driving for Uber whilethey figure out their next move.
And you're sitting therethinking, why would anybody
leave a stable job withoutsomething else lined up?
That's financial insanity,right?
But here's what you're missing.
(00:31):
For them, the pain of stayingwith you became greater than the
pain of change.
Even with all that financialuncertainty.
There's a quote that goessomething like, Change happens
when the pain of staying thesame becomes greater than the
pain of change.
Yeah, that's exactly what'shappening with your team, right?
(00:53):
Welcome to leadership in 2025,where the gig economy has
completely flipped the powerdynamic between leaders and
their teams, where people willliterally take on financial risk
rather than stay in a workplacethat's destroying their mental
health.
Hey leaders, this is ColbyMorris, and this is Things
(01:16):
Leaders Do.
Today we're talking aboutsomething that's costing
organizations billions ofdollars and driving away their
best people.
And most leaders, they have noidea they're the problem.
Let me paint you a picture ofwhat's happening right now.
We've got some statistics thatshould wake you up.
(01:37):
One in four employees, that's25% of your workforce, have
considered quitting their jobsbecause of mental health
concerns.
And 7% of those, they actuallydid quit because of it.
Here's one that really floorsme, though.
Nearly half of employees saylife was easier during COVID-19
(02:01):
than it is right now in 2025.
Think about that for a second.
The pandemic, with all its chaosand uncertainty and everything
we went through, employees aresaying that felt easier than
what we're dealing with today.
Here's why this matters for youas a leader.
35% of Gen Z workers would leavetheir current job even without
(02:25):
another job lined up.
They'll drive for DoorDash.
They'll do Uber, Uber Eats,they'll pick up gig work,
they'll figure it out.
Because the gig economy gavethem options that just didn't
exist 10 years ago.
Pre-COVID, if you wanted toleave a job, you better have
something else lined up first.
(02:46):
But now they've got a safety netmade of gig work, and that
changes absolutely everythingabout how you need to lead.
So here's where most leaders aregetting this completely wrong.
They think being nice equalssupporting mental health.
They say things like, My door isalways open, and we care about
(03:09):
work-life balance, or we have anEAP program.
And then they sit therewondering why people are still
burning out and quitting.
Let me tell you about twoleaders I want you to picture.
We'll call them David andMarcus.
David is a boss.
Marcus is a people first leader.
And the difference?
(03:30):
It's not about being nice.
Both of them are nice people.
David manages the marketingteam.
Lately, he's noticed that one ofhis top team members, Rachel,
well, she's been, I don't know,off.
She missed some meetings, andher slack responses are pretty
short, almost terse.
(03:50):
Her last project left a lot tobe desired, and certainly not
what she usually produces.
And Dave, being a nice guy,sends her a message.
Hey Rachel, just checking in,you okay?
Rachel responds with, Yeah, I'mfine, just got a lot going on.
Thanks for checking in.
And so David moves on.
I mean, he asked, and she'sfine, right?
(04:13):
So he just went back to focusingon work.
He was being nice.
He checked in three weeks later,Rachel gave her two weeks'
notice.
She didn't even have another joblined up.
She just decided to freelancefor a while and figure it out as
she goes.
David was caught completely offguard.
Now let's look at Marcus.
(04:35):
Marcus has a team member namedJames who's showing the same
exact signs.
Withdrawal, shorter responses,work quality slipping just a
bit.
But here's the difference.
Marcus knows James, like, reallyknows him.
Like, he knows James is usuallythe first one to jump into Slack
conversations.
He knows James takes real pridein his work and rarely turns in
(04:58):
anything that needs revision.
He knows James is an early riserwho does his best work before 10
a.m.
So when Marcus notices thesechanges, he doesn't just fire
off a quick Slack message.
He schedules a one-on-one.
Not the regular weeklyone-on-one, an additional one.
And he doesn't start with, areyou okay?
(05:19):
He starts with what he'sactually observed.
Hey James, I notice you've beenquieter in team discussions
lately, and you missed ourMonday stand-up last week.
That's not like you.
What's going on, man?
James gives the same responseRachel did.
I'm fine, just a lot going on.
(05:40):
But Marcus, he knows that's notthe whole story.
Because he knows James.
He digs a little deeper, butcarefully.
I hear you saying you're fine,but the patterns I'm seeing
don't really match the James Iknow.
You don't have to tell meeverything that's going on, but
I want you to know I'm here ifwork is contributing to whatever
(06:01):
you're dealing with.
And that's it.
No prying into his personalbusiness, no trying to play
therapist, just acknowledgingthat something's different and
creating space for an honestconversation.
James paused.
And then he opened up justenough.
Honestly, I've been feelingpretty overwhelmed.
(06:23):
The workload has been reallyintense, and I'm having trouble
disconnecting after work.
Now, Marcus has something he canactually work with.
Not because he forced it out ofJames, but because he knew his
person well enough to recognizewhen I'm fine wasn't true.
Let me give you three signs thatsomeone on your team is
struggling with in their mentalhealth.
And here's the key (06:44):
you you can only spot these if you actually
know your people.
Sign number one, withdraw.
They used to engage in teamdiscussions and now they're
silent.
They don't.
They used to volunteer forprojects.
Now they're just doing theminimum.
(07:05):
They used to be present.
Now they're just there.
Sign two, anger or irritability.
Small things that never botheredthem before suddenly trigger big
reactions.
They're short with teammates.
They're defensive aboutfeedback.
Their emotional regulation isjust off.
And sign three is isolation.
(07:27):
They used to grab lunch with ateam.
Now they eat alone.
They used to join the virtualhappy hours.
Now they're always busy.
They're pulling back fromconnection.
Now here's what separates a bossfrom a people first leader.
A boss sees these signs andthinks, performance problem.
(07:48):
A people first leader sees thesesigns and thinks, my person is
struggling.
Same behaviors, completelydifferent response.
All right, so how do youactually have these
conversations without crossingthe line into being invasive or
inappropriate?
Here's the framework I teachleaders.
(08:08):
Step one, observe and name whatyou see.
It's then like, you know, I'venoticed you've been quieter in
meetings lately.
I've seen you're working laterthan usual.
Your work is still good, but itseems like it's taking more
effort than it used to.
Step two, ask an open question.
(08:31):
Not are you okay?
Because that's too easy todeflect.
Try, well, what's driving that?
Or help me understand what'schanged.
Or what can I do to support youbetter right now?
And step three, create space,don't force entry.
(08:52):
This is where people firstleaders know when to stop
digging.
Look, you're not theirtherapist, okay?
You're not their parent, you'retheir leader.
Your job is to just create anenvironment where they can be
honest, okay, not to extracttheir their personal story.
If they open up, great.
Listen without judgment.
(09:13):
But if they don't, that's okaytoo.
You've signaled to them that yousee them and that you care and
that matter.
And then step four, focus onwhat you can control.
You can't fix their personalproblems, but you can adjust the
workload.
You can encourage them to usetheir PTO.
(09:34):
You can connect them withresources like your EAP.
You can be flexible about theirhours or location.
Here's what this sounds like inpractice.
James, I obviously can't fixwhat's going on in your personal
life, and you don't have to tellme about it.
But what I can do is look atyour workload and see if there's
anything that we can shift.
Would that help?
(09:54):
That's people first leadership.
You're not trying to be theirsavior.
You're trying to remove barriersthat are within your control.
Now, some of you are thinking,that sounds nice, Colby, but I
have a business to run.
I can't be everyone's emotionalsupport system.
You're right, you can't be.
But here's what you need tounderstand: ignoring mental
(10:16):
health is costing you way morethan addressing it would.
Their employees are 2.3 timesless likely to report feeling
stressed, and they have 2.6times higher likelihood of
reduced absenteeism.
(10:37):
On the flip side, yeah.
Employees with unresolveddepression experience a 35% drop
in productivity.
You want me to say that oneagain?
A 35% drop in productivity?
That's costing organizationsabout$210 billion.
Not million,$210 billionannually in lost productivity.
(11:02):
Centiism, medical expenses.
And here's the kicker (11:05):
62% of employees are disengaged at work
right now.
That's leading to an$8.8trillion with a T in global
productivity loss every year.
You know it's cheaper than allthat?
Actually annoying your peopleand creating an environment
(11:27):
where they feel safe beinghonest about their struggles.
But here's why most leadersaren't getting this right.
Trust.
Or the lack of it.
42% of employees worry thattheir career would be negatively
impacted if they talked aboutmental health concerns at work.
Think about that.
Nearly half your team thinksbeing honest about their mental
(11:48):
health could hurt their career.
And let's be honest, they'reprobably right in a lot of
workplaces because there areleaders out there who see mental
health struggles as weakness,who see someone taking a mental
health day as, you know,slacking off, who see therapy as
something people do when theycan't handle normal stress.
(12:09):
Those are bosses, not leaders.
People first leaders createpsychological safety.
And psychological safety doesn'tmean everyone's comfortable all
the time.
It means people can be honestabout their struggles without
fear of punishment or judgment.
You want to know why only 13% ofemployees told their managers
that their mental health wassuffering due to work demands?
(12:31):
Because 87% of them didn't trusttheir leader enough to have that
conversation.
That's not a mental healthproblem.
It's a leadership problem.
Let me give you some practicalexamples of what people first
leadership looks like when itcomes to mental health.
First, it's noticing patterns.
(12:51):
Not just one bad day, but trendsover time.
Not just missing one deadline,but a shift in someone's normal
performance over the weeks.
It's regular one-on-ones whereyou ask about the person, not
just the project.
Where how are you doing?
It's a genuine question, not apleasantry before you dive into
(13:13):
business.
It's flexibility when itmatters.
When someone says they need tostart later because they have a
therapy appointment, you don'tmake them feel guilty about it.
When someone needs to work fromhome more often for a few weeks,
you trust them and manage theirwork.
It's modeling healthy behavior.
What does that mean?
(13:33):
Well, it means you take yourPTO, you disconnect after hours,
you talk openly about theimportance of mental health
because your team is watchingwhat you do, not just hearing
what you say.
And it's knowing your limits.
Again, you're not a therapist.
You're not trying to diagnose ortreat mental health conditions,
(13:54):
but you can be a human who caresabout another human.
That's not overstepping.
That's just being a decentperson.
Remember Marcus and James fromearlier?
Here's what happened after thatconversation.
Marcus didn't try to fix James'life, but he did three specific
things.
First, he looked at James'workload and realized James had
(14:15):
been assigned three majorprojects simultaneously because
he was so reliable.
So Marcus redistributed one ofthose projects to another team
member who had the capacity.
Second, he encouraged James toactually use his PTO.
Not in a you should take avacation kind of way, but hey,
(14:35):
I'm blocking off three days onyour calendar right now, and I
want you to fully disconnect.
That kind of way.
Third, he followed up.
Not every day, not in a you knowa hovering kind of way, but in
their next one-on-one, he simplyasked, How are things feeling
compared when we talked a fewweeks ago?
That's it.
No grand gestures, not trying tobe the hero, just practical
(15:00):
support.
Genuine follow through.
James is still on Marcus's teamtwo years later.
When Rachel left David's team,three other people followed her
out the door within six months.
You know why?
Because word spreads.
Your team talks to each other.
They know who the people firstleaders are and who the bosses
(15:22):
are.
So here's your assignment forthis week.
And it's simple, but it's hard.
I want you to really observeyour team.
Not their work output.
Them.
Who's showing up differentlythan they used to?
Who's quieter?
Who's who's more irritable?
Who's isolated themselves?
(15:43):
And then, and this is the hardpart, I want you to have one
conversation with one person whoyou've noticed has changed.
And use that framework.
Observe and name what you see.
Ask an open question.
Okay, create space withoutforcing entry.
Just focus on what you cancontrol.
Just one conversation.
(16:04):
Not trying to save the world,not trying to connect with one
human who happens to work foryou.
It's people first leadership.
It's not complicated, but itdoes require you to actually pay
attention to your people aspeople, not as productivity
machines.
Look, we're in a mental healthcrisis.
(16:25):
The statistics are staggering.
The business impact is massive.
And the human costs isdevastating.
But here's what I need you tounderstand.
You can't solve this by justbeing nice.
You can't solve this by havingbetter benefits.
You can't solve this by puttinga mental health poster in the
(16:46):
break room.
You solve this actually knowingyour people.
By creating an environment wherehonesty doesn't come with
consequences.
By recognizing that your job asa leader isn't just to get work
done, it's to create conditionswhere people can do their best
work without destroying theirmental health in the process.
(17:07):
Gig economy changed everything.
Your people have options now.
They can leave.
And if staying with you meanssacrificing their mental health,
they will leave.
Even without a backup plan.
Because sometimes the unknownfeels safer than the question
is, are you going to be the kindof leader people run from or the
(17:31):
kind of leader people want tostay with even when things get
hard?
If your organization needs helpcreating a culture that actually
supports mental health, not justtalks about it, hey, I'd love to
help.
I work with leaders and teamsthrough keynote speaking,
executive coaching, leadershiptraining to build people first
cultures that drive realresults.
(17:52):
You can connect with me onLinkedIn or visit my website at
Nextepadvisors.com.
No E, just NXT, nextstepadvisors.com.
And hey, if this episoderesonated with you, would you do
me a favor?
Subscribe to the show whereveryou listen to podcasts and leave
a review.
And share this episode withanother leader who needs to hear
(18:13):
it.
That's how we grow thiscommunity and how we get the
word out to make a bigger impacton the workplace.
Because the more leaders who getthis stuff right, the better
workplaces become for everyone.
And remember, keep leadingpeople, not just managing their
output.
Okay.
Creating safety instead of justbeing nice and knowing your team
(18:35):
well enough to recognize whenI'm fine isn't fine.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader, be
sure to subscribe to the podcastand listen to next week's
episode.
Until next time, keep working onbeing a better leader by doing
the things that leaders do.
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