Dear Leaders, We Owe It to Our Teams to Make Mental Health Priority #1
If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit. — Banksy
My friend Mary taught me a trick for big emotions. Instead of I’m anxious, label the feeling, This is anxiety. The shift divorces anxiety from my identity. I can recognize and be curious about the emotion but not tie it to myself. I do it with positive emotions, as well.
The other day, I watched my husband plant sunflowers with our daughter, Henley. It reminded me of a moment with my dad, and I felt gratitude and warmth. Saying to myself, This is gratitude, let me live in that moment just a bit longer. Right now, I need to live in the positive moments just a little bit longer. Being a woman, mother, and VP of Inclusion for Square Root, a data startup, is a lot right now. More, more, more isn’t an option. So, what is?
Clarity of mission and values
Both personally and professionally, having clarity around my purpose and what matters lets everything else fall away in times of crisis. My mission is all about inviting in authenticity, vulnerability, and imperfections. I’m not in the office right now, but I can still picture the giant post-it next to my desk titled Anti-Bucket List. It’s a collection of all the behaviors we don’t want at Square…
