Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme, “Mental Health in Humanitarian Emergencies”, isn’t abstract; it’s the water we’re all swimming in.
Lately, I’ve been feeling stretched thin – emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually. Like many of you, I can’t seem to look away from what’s happening in the world. The constant stream of violence, loss, and injustice we now see play out in real time on our phones can feel unbearable. We’re witnessing human suffering on a scale that’s hard to process, and at times it chips away at my sense of hope. I know I’m not alone in feeling that heaviness, even as we try to show up every day, lead our teams, and keep moving things forward.
In writing this, I wanted to explore what it means to lead through moments like this; when the world feels fractured, and our collective mental health is being tested. It’s part reflection, part reminder, and part invitation: to rethink how we show up as leaders, how we care for one another, and how we rebuild trust and stability when everything around us feels uncertain.
Leading When the World Feels Heavy
For a long time, leadership was defined by the ability to “hold it together,” to keep emotions in check, stay composed, and project certainty. But that model no longer fits the world we’re living in. The sheer volume of suffering we witness every day means none of us can remain untouched, and pretending otherwise only deepens disconnection.
What we need now isn’t individual steadiness, but shared steadiness – a kind of collective leadership where we hold space for one another, where care becomes operational, and where leaders support other leaders just as much as they support their teams.
The world is shifting rapidly, and with that comes uncertainty, anxiety, and a sense of instability that can leave people in their heads. In times like these, I believe our most important role as leaders is to connect with people in ways that are both authentic and grounded in the reality they’re living. It’s about acknowledging the weight they may be carrying while creating the safety and support needed for them to do their best work.
Whenever I’m faced with a deeply human challenge like this, I look to values. Values help me see people beyond their roles or personalities and reveal what drives them, what comforts them, and what they need to thrive. By grounding our actions in values like belonging, accountability, and empathy, we can build workplaces that help people navigate this complex world rather than shut down under its weight.
Grounding Leadership in Values
When I think about what it means to lead through this kind of global turbulence, I keep coming back to a few core values that have always grounded me – and that, through our research on workplace culture, we know are essential to thriving in any workplace: empathy, belonging, accountability, and trust.
Empathy means acknowledging that everyone is carrying something right now. Whether it’s personal grief, fear, or the exhaustion that comes from witnessing suffering, people bring all of that to work. When we make space for those feelings instead of brushing past them, we signal that being human doesn’t make us less effective; it makes us more capable of leading, connecting, and creating.
Belonging is what keeps people tethered when the world feels unsteady. It’s the simple act of saying, “You’re not alone in this.” It shows up in how we check in, how we listen, and how we create flexibility without judgment.
Accountability looks different too. It’s not just about driving results; it’s about caring for the people who make those results possible. It’s asking, “What can we redistribute? Who needs support?” and holding ourselves responsible for the culture we create, not just the output we deliver.
Trust is the foundation that allows people to show up honestly, to admit when they’re not okay, to say no when they’re at capacity, and to take a break without fear of being seen as less committed. Building trust in uncertain times requires transparency, humility, and a willingness to repair when we fall short.
When we centre these values, we start leading with people’s mental health in mind. It changes how we think about work – from focusing only on outcomes to caring about how people are coping, connecting, and finding meaning in what they do.
The Risk of Burnout and the Need for Collective Care
Even with the best intentions, leaders and teams can’t sustain compassion indefinitely without structures of care in place. The risk of burnout – emotional exhaustion, disconnection, and loss of meaning – is real, especially in a world that feels like one continuous emergency.
Burnout isn’t just the result of overwork; it’s often the consequence of a values gap. When people don’t feel seen, when they can’t connect their work to purpose, and when trust and belonging fade, exhaustion becomes inevitable. It’s not about capacity alone but also about depletion of meaning.
As leaders, when we avoid the hard conversations that acknowledge the very real challenges people are facing, and when we fail to center empathy, belonging, accountability, and trust in the way we lead, we create the conditions where mental health begins to suffer and burnout quietly takes root. But when we live those values in practice, we create the opposite: spaces for recovery, honesty, and collective strength.
At the same time, we can’t ignore the broader context we’re leading in. Across politics and business, people’s trust in leadership has eroded. We’ve watched companies report record profits while simultaneously cutting jobs, reducing benefits, and prioritizing shareholder returns over employee well-being.
That loss of trust is deeply emotional. It sends a message that people are disposable, that care is conditional, and that leadership is driven more by optics than by humanity. And those perceptions inevitably shape how people experience leadership inside their workplaces too.
That’s why I think my responsibility as a leader feels heavier right now. I believe we have both an opportunity and an obligation to model something different: leadership that rebuilds trust through transparency, shared accountability, and genuine care. Leadership that reminds people success doesn’t have to come at the expense of well-being – and that how we treat people in hard times matters just as much as how we celebrate in good ones.
Leading Differently: Putting Care into Practice
If trust has eroded and uncertainty has become our baseline, the way forward isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about consistency in small, human things. Rebuilding trust and protecting mental health happens in the everyday choices leaders make: how we communicate, how we distribute work, how we listen, and how we show care.
Here are a few ways I’ve been thinking about putting this into practice:
Acknowledge what’s heavy. When global or local crises dominate the news, don’t pretend it’s business as usual. Simply naming what’s happening gives people permission to exhale. It signals that emotions have a place at work and that being human isn’t a distraction from performance – it’s part of it.
Redefine accountability. Accountability isn’t just about deadlines and deliverables; it’s about caring for the people who meet them. It means asking questions like, “Is there any support you need right now?” and redistributing workloads when possible. When leaders take ownership of the collective well-being of their teams, they model responsibility rooted in empathy.
Model boundaries and rest (this one is hard for me). When leaders never disconnect, no one else feels they can. Take time off. Log off visibly. Protect time for deep work or quiet thinking. Rest isn’t a reward – it’s a requirement for long-term impact.
Normalize honest check-ins. Ask questions that go beyond status updates, and be prepared to actually listen – not to fix, but to understand because listening is leadership.
Support other leaders. Leadership can be isolating, especially when the world feels like it’s on fire. Pair up with a peer. Build a small circle of leaders who check in on each other, share what’s working, and admit what’s not. I feel lucky to have two colleagues in Susan Seto and Sarah Roberton who lead other teams and who I can regularly check in with. Our conversations aren’t always about work – sometimes they’re simply about how we’re doing, what’s weighing on us, or how we can better support our teams. Those moments remind me that leadership doesn’t have to be lonely but can be deeply connected when we make space for honesty and care.
When we approach leadership this way, we make mental health part of the system, not a separate program or campaign. These aren’t radical changes but they are intentional ones. Over time, small acts of empathy, fairness, and transparency compound into something powerful: a workplace where people can do good work and feel cared for as humans.
Why I Needed to Write This
On this World Mental Health Day, I’m reminded that while we can’t control the state of the world, we can shape how our workplaces respond to it. Leadership that prioritizes humanity doesn’t weaken performance; it sustains it.
I’ll admit, this reflection comes from a deeply personal place. Like many others, I’ve had my own struggles with mental health. Watching the world unravel – seeing so much suffering and injustice – has left me feeling hopeless at times. Writing this has been a way to process those feelings of helplessness and remind myself that while I can’t stop the chaos out there, I can choose how I show up and hopefully help others think through these same questions alongside me.
