Why leaders should be leaning in to wellbeing
What is the responsibility of leaders to lean into wellbeing?
We can’t think of any better answer than that of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, on World Health Day 2023 Friday 7, March.
At mentl we loved his tweet: “Safeguarding people’s health and wellbeing has been a key priority throughout the UAE’s journey. On World Health Day we reaffirm this commitment, as we continue to build an advanced healthcare system and contribute to disease eradication efforts around the world.”
Which is also a great time to bring you our conversation with Diego Carrete, the newly-appointed Chief Wellness Officer of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) on FAB’s podcast Thought Creators, which mentl founder Scott Armstrong hosts.
They dove into new Deloitte research on what wellbeing strategies are (and what are not) working for employees, and why leadership needs to set the tone. Plus they examined why FAB has chosen now to appoint a senior position totally focused on the wellbeing of its people.
Here’s a taster of the conversation…
Scott Armstrong – mentl
We talked earlier that Deloitte called out that impact of culture on employees and how they then engage with the whole wellbeing and wellness conversation, what is the responsibility of leaders to lean in to their own well being, as well as their own team’s well being?
Diego Carrete, Chief Wellness Officer, First Abu Dhabi Bank
That’s a very good question. You’re a father, put yourself in a situation where you’re sitting in the couch, and your daughter is around, then you say, ‘hey, remember, you cannot eat on the couch. it is very bad for you, you shouldn’t do it’ whilst you are munching on or snacking on the couch. Well, it wouldn’t sound too congruent, right?
So there’s the principle of congruence, you have to be aligned with the message that you’re sending out. So as leaders, as heads of department is our responsibility to lead by example.
And this doesn’t mean that you have to go to the gym. You have your own right to do whatever you feel, but to enable and to at least comply with some of the principles of the strategy because people look up to you in these positions.
You are their hero in the corporate setting, and sometimes, you know, in their lives as well and I speak from a personal perspective.
So, if that person is leading by the right example, you are more likely to follow through and you automatically understand what their vision is, and you want to be aligned with with your leader.
So, I think is important is fundamentally.
