Wellbeing with Leadership in Mind: Why We Need to Teach Leaders More Than Just KPIs
We ask a lot from leaders. Strategic thinking. Results. Productivity. Engagement. Oh, and by the way—make sure your people feel good while doing it.
No pressure, right?
The truth is, most leaders didn’t get into their roles because they’re experts in mental health or workplace wellbeing. They’re often high-performers who climbed the ladder through technical brilliance or business acumen. But leading people? That’s a whole different skillset. Especially in 2025, when burnout is still lurking, work is increasingly digital and sedentary, and people are questioning everything about work-life balance.
That’s why we need to teach leaders about wellbeing. Not just once. Not just at a single lunchtime session. But as an ongoing part of leadership development.
Leaders shape the water their teams swim in
Let’s borrow a classic metaphor: If your team is a group of fish and the workplace is the tank, then leaders are the ones managing the filter system.
When the tank is toxic, we don’t just ask for tougher fish—we clean the water.
Wellbeing isn’t an "HR thing" or something you slap on in Mental Health Awareness Week. It’s embedded in everyday leadership: how meetings are run, how feedback is given, how workloads are balanced, and how success is defined.
And when leaders understand the basics of psychosocial risk, burnout, stress, and recovery—they make better decisions. Period.
The science is clear: Job stress isn’t just a feeling
The Job-Demand-Control Model (Karasek, 1979) has been around for decades, and recent studies show it’s more relevant than ever. High demands at work aren’t necessarily a bad thing—but if people don’t have control over how they meet those demands, the risk of burnout skyrockets.
And get this: people who sit more than 7 hours a day are five times more likely to experience job strain (Clinchamps et al., 2023). FIVE. Add in low physical activity and poor psychological support, and you’ve got a perfect storm for stress-related illness.
This isn’t just about individual lifestyle choices—it’s about job design, team culture, and leadership behaviour. Which means leaders have to be part of the solution.
What leaders need to know (and why it matters)
We’re not saying every leader should be a psychologist. But they do need to understand:
The basics of burnout and how it shows up (hint: it’s not always someone crying at their desk)
How control, autonomy, and flexibility protect wellbeing
That resilience isn’t just “pushing through”—and grit isn’t always good
The difference between supporting performance and fuelling overwork
How to have simple, human conversations about mental health
Because here’s the deal: wellbeing impacts performance. It’s not a fluffy extra. It’s business critical.
A final note to leaders
You don’t have to have all the answers. But your willingness to learn, to listen, and to lead with wellbeing in mind? That’s powerful.
People remember how their leaders made them feel. Safe. Valued. Stretched, but supported. That’s what great leadership looks like now.
Need help teaching your leaders how to lead wellbeing?
That’s our jam.
At Glia, we help leaders understand and manage psychosocial risks, build mentally healthy teams, and create workplaces where people (and performance) can thrive.
📩 Get in touch if you’re ready to clean the tank—not just train the fish.