The world is burning out and burning up. As organizations strive to enable hybrid work (or work from anywhere) amidst health and climate emergencies, leaders are being asked to do a lot. A former colleague of mine, Ilene, introduced nearly every workshop and conversation about mental health with the metaphor that, during an emergency, we should put on our own oxygen mask or life jacket before helping others. Leaders need to take care of ourselves before we can support our teammates with the compassion, creativity, and presence that they need. To make this happen, the one thing leaders need for practicing self-care is a healthy community.

What’s that now?

It’s a bit counterintuitive to connect self-care with other people; however, the science is clear that folks with even a few close friends experience less loneliness and positive social emotional health outcomes. Employees with a “best friend at work” are more engaged, connected, and productive at work because of this key component of their support network.

Human beings are naturally social and cooperative creatures. “Simply being part of a positive community and knowing that others are sharing the same everyday problems and worries can provide perspective and be incredibly helpful,” says Forbes’s Gemma Toner. “These community experiences are also a powerful piece of the successful career experience: not only essential for your well-being, but an opportunity for valuable networking.” Valuable networking is in the eye of the beholder – for me, these days I’m striving to make meaningful connections that foster reciprocal resilience, joy, and creative problem solving. It’s enough to be a human without a career, political, or social agenda.

I recently delivered a micro-learning session about self-care for leaders and was inspired by how a member of our executive team reinforced the point that self-care requires a support network. He stated that folks on the call, most of the organization’s people leaders, can and should look to each other for all kinds of support – knowledge, emotional labour, problem-solving, difficult conversations, coaching – to cope, thrive and/or transform in the undoubtedly arduous months ahead.

Who’s in your support network? How are you asking for their help when you need it?