“Leadership well-being is often treated as a personal issue. But in reality, it’s a strategic organisational issue,” says business psychologist and leadership expert Lill Palmblad.
Leaders are expected to create direction, make difficult decisions, support employees and navigate constant change. Yet one important question is rarely asked:
Who looks after the boss?
According to Lill Palmblad, co-author of the bestselling book Who Looks After the Boss?, the well-being of leaders is one of the most overlooked drivers of organisational performance.
Ahead of her upcoming EGN Global webinar, we spoke with her about why leadership well-being deserves a place on every executive agenda.
Leadership isa high-risk work environment
While leadership offers purpose, influence and the opportunity to make a real difference, it also comes with a unique combination of psychological demands.
“Research has identified several psychosocial risk factors that affect people’s health and well-being.In leadership, many of these risk factors exist at the same time– and then with extra pressure added” Lill explains.
Leaders constantly balance competing priorities, make decisions with incomplete information, support employees through difficult situations and are evaluated from every direction – by employees, peers and senior management.
Leadership contains enormous opportunities for meaning and impact. But organisations also need to recognise that it is one of today’s most demanding work environments.
The first signs are often invisible
Many organisations believe they will recognise when a leader begins struggling. According to Lill, that’s rarely what happens.
“People expect obvious stress symptoms. But often the first warning signs appear in the quality of leadership itself”Lill points out.
Decision-making slows down. Difficult conversations are postponed. Leaders become increasingly reactive instead of proactive. Collaboration within leadership teams weakens, and conflicts become harder to resolve.
“Rarely does a leaderjust wake up one morning unable to lead. More often, leadership capacity erodes gradually.”Lill adds.
Instead of focusing solely on the individual leader, organisations should ask a different question.
The quality of leadership often reflects the conditions for leadership. Rather than asking what’s wrong with the leader, we should ask whether we’ve created the conditions for that leader to succeed.
Leadership well-being is everyone’s responsibility
For many years, leadership well-being has been viewed as something leaders should manage themselves. Lill believes that mindset needs to change.
“Leadership well-being is not built in isolation. It is built through relationships, culture and strong leadership communities.” Lill explains.
Organisations need to create environments where leaders can openly discuss both the factors that energise them and those that create strain. Leadership teams should become spaces for genuine peer support, as well as for effective collaboration and operational decision-making.
Senior executives also have a significant influence. Every day, CEOs shape leadership well-being through the priorities they set, the resources they allocate and the culture they create.
Investing in leadership capacity
Ultimately, leadership well-being is about much more than preventing burnout.
“Leadership well-being is a capacity issue,” Lill says.
“The question is not how we remove pressure from leadership. Leadership will always involve pressure. The real question is whether we give leaders the conditions they need to handle that pressure well.” Lill explain.
Organisations that invest in leadership well-being strengthen their ability to make sound decisions, navigate uncertainty and sustain high-quality leadership over time.
Why this conversation matters now
Leadership has changed dramatically over the past decade. Expectations continue to rise, while complexity and uncertainty have become permanent features of organisational life.
“We need strong leadership more than ever. At the same time, leadership has become a far more demanding profession – and in many countries, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract people into leadership roles.”Lill believes.
That is why Lill believes leadership well-being is not simply a topic for today’s leaders: It’s also about the future of leadership itself.
If we want better leadership, perhaps the first question we need to ask is this simple one:
Who looks after the boss?
