Leadership: impact beyond the office

Leadership development is often talked about in terms of enhancing organizational performance and driving bottom-line results. While this is absolutely true, there’s another aspect of leadership that transcends these metrics and that is its profound impact on the lives of individuals both in and out of the workplace. 

Who bears the cost of poor leadership? 

Recently, I came across an insightful article titled “Who Bears the Cost of Poor Leadership?” It posed these thought-provoking questions: How many relationships have ended due to poor leadership in the workplace? How has poor leadership in the workplace affected the way parents treat their children? How has poor leadership in the workplace contributed to anxiety and depression in the world? These questions present a perspective that there are far-reaching consequences of ineffective leadership. 

A poor leader is why I started therapy

Workplace stress due to a poor leader was the reason I got into therapy. I remember joking that I wished I could bill my therapy copays back to my company because of their role. In a way, they were paying because the World Health Organization estimates that 12 billion working days are lost annually around the world to depression and anxiety, at a cost of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity; and research consistently shows that a large reason people leave jobs is due to their manager and turnover is costly. (I left that job because of that leader.) This is a real, tangible effect of poor leadership on individual well-being. The stress and dissatisfaction that stem from a negative work environment infiltrates our homes, strains our relationships, and diminishes our quality of life. 

All of us bear a responsibility, not only to our employees, but also to their loved ones who also feel the immediate repercussions of ineffective or dysfunctional leaders. 

Recognize the ripple effect

Leaders at all levels must recognize the ripple effect of their leadership style. Every decision they make, every interaction they have, expands beyond the office walls. Their team members are not just cogs in the machine – they are human beings with aspirations, dreams, and families who entrust their workplace with their well-being. 

The U.S. society is known for being individualistic, and the high amounts of stress and uncertainty have naturally pushed leaders to become more self-centered, focusing solely on their own career goals and aspirations. When leaders become too inwardly focused, they lose sight of their role as a leader and the profound impact they have on the lives of others. 

Often when I’m coaching leaders, I pose this question: How do you want to make others feel? (For further insights, see the article linked here.) In today’s environment, highly effective leaders are those who prioritize creating environments where their team members feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. 

Approach with a deeper sense of responsibility

I’ll end on this note: my writing about this topic is not meant to burden leaders with additional pressure or discourage aspiring individuals from pursuing leadership roles. I wanted to invite you to view leadership through a different lens and to approach it with a deeper sense of responsibility and purpose.