Regardless of your personal opinions on mental health, it’s important to remain cognizant of your impact on others. Especially as an owner/manager.
I had recently read this article by Tracy Bower, and I was struck by the stat she started with. “…for almost 70% of people, their manager has more impact on their mental health than their therapist or their doctor—and it’s equal to the impact of their partner.” This shows the influence owners/managers have over their employees and its something we’ve all experienced personally as well as with clients. 
It’s imperative for small business owners/managers to be aware of the effect their actions have on their employees. Yes, a lot of the time, they are “putting the team on their back,” trying to absorb the extra work when the rest of the company is already stretched thin. But no matter how hard they try, the ball is dropped somewhere else, most often in supporting their own mental health and that of their employees. Like LeAnn Rimes said, “Something’s gotta give.”
No matter your religious beliefs, the Protestant work ethic is ingrained in all of us. We’re taught the harder we work, the better the results. This can be true every once in a while, but like all things in life moderation is key. We’ve all experienced burnout, which is the ironic result of working so hard that now you can’t bear to work. If the owner of a company is burning herself out trying to cover the tasks that keep dropping through the cracks, how do you think that will translate to the rest of the company’s morale?
One facet of The Great Resignation (or Big Quit) that occurred following the COVID-19 pandemic, was employees being pushed to their mental limit. Yes, there were plenty of other external factors beyond work-life balance that played a role here. But for the first time, many people realized the value of their mental health and that it was worth the risk to find a new job in hopes of shedding an unhealthy relationship with an owner/manager.
Overworked business owners (or the suffering employees of one) aren’t taught to think about outsourcing the positions you’re having trouble keeping up with. Hiring a specialist, even in a part-time (or fractional) capacity, will pay dividends far beyond their cost. Like the article says, “As a leader, say no to too much work for yourself or your team, and resist the urge to take on the work yourself.”
If you’re role-playing as your sales manager, or can’t afford the kind of sales manager your company needs, reach out to us to see how we can help give you and your employees some of your sanity back.
