Take control of your mindset

Today’s accelerated technological innovations make people working in certain industries and roles nervous — yet others see this change as opportunities for more interesting and life-affirming careers. Your chosen profession partly impacts your outlook, but the state of your mental health also has the potential to influence whether you see tech advancements (like generative AI) as a source of positive change or peril.

Developing a good mindset can help leaders take a measured, open-minded approach to the ever-changing tech landscape. But perhaps more importantly, these leaders are better equipped to help their teams see a positive future, too. Keep reading to learn why protecting your mental health is vital to good leadership, and how to take steps toward a healthier headspace.

You’re Not Alone: Why Work Might Seem Hard Right Now

If it feels like it’s harder than ever to lead a healthy, stable, productive organization, you’re not alone. Global economic uncertainty, socio-political turmoil, and the daily stresses and pressures of being in charge are taking a toll on leadership teams. Consider these statistics:

• Over 50% of managers report feelings of burnout, most often caused by a high workload combined with limited resources.
• According to Forbes, a recent study showed that “1,914 CEOs left their roles in 2023, marking a 55% increase from the previous year.”
• Survey results from Deloitte revealed that in June 2022, “Nearly 70% of the C-suite are seriously considering quitting for a job that better supports their well-being.”

Studies continue to show that executives and employees alike regularly deal with stress, fatigue, overwhelm, and depression. Some amount of stress is inevitable when leading a company, but those feelings shouldn’t necessarily grow to the point of driving people out of work. Before leaders can effectively help employees develop healthier outlooks, they must take care of their own mental health by examining which stressors are within their control to address.

What We Can Control

Even for people who work long hours and more than five days a week, work isn’t the only component of our lives. Home life, health, and hobbies all offer areas where we can practice seeing what’s within our control to change and what’s largely unchangeable. For Ted Elliott, CEO of Copado, a series of health events within his family shifted his views on control.

“I don't believe we control anything in life. I think we can only influence things,” Elliott said. “That largely came out of getting cancer four years ago, my third month on the job [at Copado], and realizing how little control I have of things. It also taught me that everything is changing constantly. The question is whether you want to be writing the change or being driven over by the change.”

This frame of mind impacts how Elliott thinks about AI technology as it pertains to his employees. Where some people see their jobs being taken over by computers, Elliott chooses to reframe the situation as one of possibility.

“When I have these conversations with the technical writers, I start with, ‘I think your job isn’t going to exist in five years, but here's what your job is going to look like. That's going to be a completely different job, in which you are going to be the person who feeds the mind of the machine. You're going to be in more demand than ever before.’ That's kind of how I look at it — our job is going to change in ways we didn't imagine, but we're still going to need people to define what it is we need to accomplish.”

Advice for Managing Overwhelming Feelings

Accepting that change is both inevitable and constant can help to reduce some of the fear that comes with uncertainty. As Simon Berg, CEO of Ceros.com, said in an interview with Forbes, “The human inclination is to let fear — or whatever short-term pain the decision will inevitably bring — scare you out of moving forward.” Acknowledge the fear, then take a step back to more clearly assess the situation with that component removed.

Practicing this tactic is easier if you’ve created a supportive environment at the workplace. Talking through challenges with trusted colleagues and delegating responsibilities appropriately can give you the headspace you need to practice handling stress and change with a more pragmatic approach.

“I guess what I'm saying is, in life, just like with AI — everything can either be the end of the world or it can be an opportunity,” Elliott said. “We don't get to control how long we're here. We don't get to control what happens to us, but it's what you choose to make of it that ultimately defines your life.”