Your how-to: Encouraging leadership to share personal mental health stories
Encouraging leadership to share personal mental health stories within your workplace is an initiative designed to destigmatise mental health issues and foster a supportive work environment. It involves urging those in managerial or supervisory positions within your organisation to openly discuss their experiences with mental health issues.
This concept is grounded in the belief that when people in power positions vocalise their mental health journeys, they can create an environment of acceptance and understanding. It also helps to highlight that mental health issues can touch anyone, regardless of their professional standing or personal success.
In an Australian context, this approach aligns with the SafeWork Australia's guidelines that recommend workplaces promote mental health and reduce work-related psychological risks. It can also contribute significantly to meeting your organisation's moral and legal obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009, particularly concerning providing a safe and healthy work environment.
However, it's worth mentioning that care must be taken to ensure sharing personal stories doesn't breach an individual's privacy rights as per the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988.
Step by step instructions
Garner Support from Senior Leadership: The first step towards encouraging leadership to share personal mental health stories is to secure a mandate from the organisation's top executives. This is because their support is crucial in endorsing and driving this initiative. Make sure to underline the potential benefits, including the creation of a supportive work environment, destigmatisation of mental health and potential compliance with psychological safety guidelines from SafeWork Australia.
Provide Clear Guidelines: Provide leaders who are interested in sharing their personal stories with clear guidelines about preserving privacy and maintaining professional boundaries. Although leaders are sharing personal journeys, they must remain aware of what is professionally appropriate and respect their own personal limits.
Communicate the Initiative: Once you've assembled your group of leaders ready to share their stories and provided them with the necessary training, it's time to disperse this initiative within your organisation. You could share through multiple channels, such as staff meetings, newsletters, or casual get-togethers. The key is to create an environment that fosters open dialogue and support.
Review and Revise: Finally, review the impact of this initiative regularly and be open to modifying your approach if required. Collect feedback from employees about their perceptions of this initiative, and discuss with your leadership team about their experiences in sharing their stories. Continual adjustment is important in ensuring the initiative remains effective and beneficial for everyone involved.
Identify Interested Leaders: Survey your leadership team to identify those individuals who are comfortable sharing their mental health stories. Ensure they understand that their decision to share is entirely voluntary. If nobody is immediately interested, provide opportunities for education about how sharing can destigmatise mental health issues and foster empathy and integrity.
Prepare for Story Sharing: Leaders who agree to share their personal experiences with mental health should not be left to their own devices. They should be coached on how to share their stories effectively and responsibly. This could mean engaging a mental health professional, such as a psychologist, to advise on appropriate story-telling techniques. While their stories are personal, leaders must remember their role in the organisation and share responsibly.
Provide Support Mechanisms: Create adequate support systems for those who may be impacted by these stories. This might involve setting up a mental health hotline, offering confidential counselling services or organising peer support groups within the workplace.
Reflect and Breathe: This step can be challenging, so it's important to take a moment to breathe and reflect. Pause to consider the progress made, the obstacles encountered, and the lessons learned. This reflection will not only help in gaining clarity but also in maintaining a balanced perspective, allowing for thoughtful and deliberate decision-making moving forward.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
Plunging into personal mental health stories without preparation can lead to difficulties. Leaders should be given adequate training and preparation before sharing their stories. The training should encompass guidance on articulating sensitive information, emotional readiness, and understanding different perspectives.
Be cautious of inadvertently promoting a 'one-size-fits-all' solution to mental health problems. Each person's experience with mental health is unique, thus, it’s essential that leaders articulate this when sharing their stories.
When dealing with mental health narratives, it's critical to have access to professional mental health resources. Mental health is a delicate topic and a professional, such as a psychologist or a counsellor, can provide support and ensure that discussions are conducted appropriately.
Whilst sharing stories can bring mental health issues to light, there is a risk of normalising extreme stress or unhealthy coping mechanisms. Make sure leaders emphasise the importance of seeking help and that struggling with mental health is not a prerequisite for leadership.
Certain details in mental health stories could trigger painful memories for some. Be considerate of your audience's diverse experiences and offer content warnings where necessary.