Leading Through The Well-Being Lens

We talk a lot about outcomes and performance when it comes to leadership, but what if we widened the lens?
More and more organizations are starting to measure leadership effectiveness through human-centered metrics like employee engagement, retention, psychological safety, and belonging.
It’s an encouraging shift. But I think we can go even further.
What if we started nurturing work environments that helped leaders and managers not only drive results, but also support the well-being of their teams in meaningful, practical ways?
Which, let’s be honest, only helps those other metrics too.
Here are some ideas to test out:
• Add a well-being lens to 1:1 check-in templates and scripts
• Equip managers to spot early signs of burnout - e.g., detachment, emotional exhaustion, missed deadlines, perpetually long hours
• Normalize flexible pacing - not every moment has to be a fire-drill, not every season has to be a sprint
• Run energy mapping workshops to help leaders and their teams understand what gives vs. drains their energy
• Introduce recovery rituals for teams that entail short, intentional pauses after big pushes
• Build a shared language around capacity, and train leaders to ask what’s sustainable for their team
• Celebrate rest and resilience as success metrics
• Help leaders model their own boundaries (maybe the toughest one!)
Bottom line, it isn’t about lowering the bar, it’s about making sure the bar is both high and humanly sustainable.
→ What’s one way you’ve seen well-being successfully woven into leadership, manager, or team development?