Mentoring for senior leaders, Low engagement on wellbeing initiatives and the new Netflix show
Ashwin Naik
Building Manah - Supporting Champions of Wellbeing Worldwide | Past - Human Genome Project, Rural Health | Board Member, Independent Director & Author | YGL of WEF, Ashoka Fellow and TED Fellow
Senior Leaders and Mentorship
The concept of mentoring is quite common in junior and middle-level corporate roles. It typically involves an experienced professional or subject matter expert guiding a ‘mentee’ in various nuances related to the latter’s role and responsibilities. Mentors are vital for knowledge-building and career progression. A good mentor also boosts the mentee’s self-esteem and morale.
However, senior-level professionals also need mentors just as much as junior employees. This is because senior managers or CEOs have to make critical decisions all through the day. Sometimes, these decisions may have to do with contexts that the leader has never dealt with before or where (s)he needs to take an objective view of things. In such cases, a mentor can shorten the learning curve and prevent the leader from making costly mistakes.
Low utilization of Wellbeing Initiatives and EAP
There is a surprising trend when it comes to workplace wellness programmes in India. While the coverage of structured wellness programmes is low — reaching about 15% of India’s workforce, according to Redseer consulting — so is the utilisation of such services, where they exist. So, why do structured wellness initiatives like employee assistance programmes (EAPs) see such dismal usage rates by the very people they are designed to benefit?
Globally, workplace burnout, anxiety, and depression have spiked in the last two years. The failure of EAPs to position themselves as a viable option for employees to seek mental health support, is therefore, a trend that has baffled experts for some time.
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Here are some reasons why workers may be unable or unwilling to avail of EAPs’ services.
Netflix Show - Stutz
Jonah Hill's Netflix Documentary Stutz is a tribute to his therapist Phil Stutz, where they explore therapy, relationships, tools and life. A unique documentary which goes behind the scenes of what happens in a psychiatrists office but also what goes on in the therapists and the clients mind.
Have you watched it? What do you think?
Mentor | Social Entrepreneur | CEO and co-founder of the Elders Council for Social Entrepreneurs | Chair of the Catalyst 2030 Mental Health Collaboration
2yExcellent article on mentoring for senior leaders Ashwin Naik. As a long established mentor of senior figures in both the not-for-profit and for-profit worlds I heartily support these simple but effective pointers as to why mentoring for senior figures can work well Congratulations.