Healthy Leaders Build Healthy Organizations

 


Growing up as a member of Generation X, many of us were taught a simple lesson: give 100%.

There is nothing inherently wrong with working hard. In fact, I believe hard work, commitment, and accountability are values worth preserving. They are values I worked hard to pass on to my own children.

But I also taught them something equally important.

Take care of yourself.

Take your lunch break.

Exercise.

Read a book you enjoy.

Pursue hobbies.

Spend time with the people you love.

Protect your time away from work.

Somewhere along the way, many organizations began celebrating the idea that giving 100% meant giving everything to work. We skip lunch to answer emails. We don't use our vacation because we're afraid of falling behind. We come to work sick because we don't want to burden our coworkers. We wear exhaustion like it's a badge of honor.

That's not dedication.

That's burnout waiting to happen.

The reality is that if you give 100% of yourself to work every day, there may be very little left for your family, your health, your friends, or yourself.

Work is important.

It provides purpose, stability, and opportunities to serve others.

But work is not your family.

It is not your identity.

It should not become your only purpose.

Healthy organizations recognize that healthy employees perform better over the long term. They encourage people to take their lunch breaks, use their vacation time, disconnect after work, and care for both their physical and mental well-being.

As leaders, we have to ask ourselves some difficult questions.

Do we genuinely encourage wellness and self-care?

Or are those simply words on a company website?

Do we model healthy behaviors ourselves?

Or do we unintentionally reward overwork and burnout?

Culture is shaped less by what leaders say than by what they consistently do.

If we want healthy organizations, we must first become healthy leaders.

Sometimes the greatest act of leadership is giving others permission to care for themselves—because you've already given yourself that permission.

Reflection: As a leader, what message does your own behavior send? Do your daily actions encourage wellness, or do they unintentionally reward burnout?

Dr. Flavius A. B. Akerele III, EdD, MBA
Executive Leader | Educator | Consultant | Speaker
Founder, ETeam Educational Consulting

Thank you for reading. If this article resonated with you, I invite you to share it and join the conversation by leaving a comment or connecting with me on LinkedIn.

#IntentionalLeadership #PracticalLeadership #LeadingWithPurpose #LeadershipWithDrAkerele #WorkplaceWellbeing

 

About the Author

Dr. Flavius A. B. Akerele III, EdD, MBA is an executive leader, educator, consultant, and speaker with more than 20 years of experience in higher education, graduate medical education, nonprofit leadership, and workforce development. Through his writing, he explores intentional leadership, organizational culture, adult learning, and practical strategies for building stronger organizations.

Series: Practical Leadership: Reflections from More Than 20 Years in Leadership, Teaching, and Consulting


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