As an organization, we’ve done a lot more program building & implementation, than focusing on media attention or praise. It’s our belief that our hands-on work is the most important part of what we do, & if we do it right, others will take notice, & we can help more ppl.
That’s why it was very humbling to be asked to speak at the CNBC event for CHROs yesterday. I was asked to share my personal story – how it affected me in my office role in sports business, what to look out for in our employees who may be experiencing challenges, & how we can attack this topic/issue more proactively. This came after the late event the night before in SC, but the early flight up was so worth it.
The reason why we call our corporate office program, #SameHere “Safe” other than the the nice sounding S words together, is that “Safety” is what ppl currently DON’T feel in their offices, when talking about their MH openly, bc of fear or repercussions if decision makers know about their struggles.
I stressed the importance of the leaders of organizations, showing vulnerability, themselves. Yes it’s a balance bc of their authority roles, but leaders need to show that they are human too, that life gets to them, & that it’s ok to talk about what gets to us – with peers, HR, even the managers themselves, without fear of consequences. We lose more productivity by NOT being open about it than we do by covering it up & pretending everything is “ok.”
Thanks to Squawk Box host, Becky Quick, for moderating, showing great concern & interest in the topic, & for now inviting me on her show on 5/1 on CNBC, upcoming. Looking forward to diving deeper into the discussion. And thanks to Alexa Pozniak for seeing what we were writing about on LinkedIn, & reaching out & inviting us to participate in such a great event.
