Fifty-three percent of employees report feeling burned out.

Exceptional leaders recognize that employees need to be well, before they can perform well.

Great leaders see mental health as a strategic asset.

Strategic thinking is underrated.

I took an economics class when I was a freshman in college. On the first day of class my professor said, “You'll do well in this course if you think strategically and understand that every action has a consequence, every choice has a cost, and everything is connected.” That lesson has stayed with me over the years — not just in economics, but in leadership.

The best leaders think the same way.

They understand that employee mental health is not an isolated issue tucked away in Human Resources. It is connected to decision-making, innovation, engagement, retention, customer service, organizational culture, and ultimately, the financial health of the company.

Exceptional leaders recognize that employees need to be well, before they can perform well.

Leading people means understanding that the quality of an employee's mental health directly influences the quality of his or her performance. Healthy minds solve problems more effectively, communicate more clearly, recover from setbacks more quickly, and make better decisions under pressure.

Conversely, chronic stress quietly degrades concentration, judgment, creativity, and motivation, which can lead to absenteeism.

The financial implications are staggering.

According to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, mental health inequities cost U.S. businesses approximately $115 billion annually through absenteeism and workforce attrition. Those numbers represent lost dollars and even more lost potential.

Throughout my career as a psychotherapist, workplace mental health educator, and leadership trainer, I have been privileged to work with some of the world's most respected organizational leaders. Although they represent different industries and leadership styles, the most........

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