Knowing is Not Enough – Walking the Talk on Mental Health
Intellectually, most people agree that good mental health really matters.
It’s a message employers’ signpost in company values, wellbeing policies and awareness campaigns. It’s a message employees echo in conversations with colleagues, friends and families.
And yet, step into a coaching room and a different story emerges. You’d be hard pushed to find a professional leadership coach who would deny that a high percentage of people seem to be running on empty.
So, despite knowing the importance of good mental health, acting on that knowledge is clearly a challenge - the lived reality for many is very far from ideal.
Overwhelm, burnout, anxiety, stress, pressure and imposter feelings – these emotions are not isolated events. Far from it. They seem on endless repeat, often moving through organisations with a quiet, heavy persistence.
Teams trying hard to hit ambitious goals with less ambitious resources.
Leaders trying to appear focussed and motivated, while often feeling crushed by responsibility.
Individuals working harder than ever yet feeling a gut inducing fear that they are falling short.
These experiences are not exceptions, but part of the everyday landscape up and down our country, our ‘modern’ world.
So, why the disconnect? Why do so many acknowledge that good mental health is vital, and yet still find themselves struggling at individual and at organisational levels?
Knowing is Not the Same as Being
As a professional working in this space, in my opinion, the gap comes down to embodiment. Intellectually we may agree that things like rest, boundaries and realistic expectations are essential for wellbeing. But many workplaces still reward presenteeism, long hours and the person who never says no. Let’s face it, they say they don’t, but in truth they often do…
Recognising the importance of mental health in theory is far easier than changing habits, workload structures and cultural expectations in practice. This takes intention, patience and time. Qualities (particularly the latter two) that can be in short supply in many of our workplaces.
In the coaching room, people often describe a clash between what they know is important for them, and what they feel permitted to do.
Yes, they know they should take their lunch break—but will colleagues see them as less committed? They know they should ask for support—but will their manager assume they’re not ready for the next step up? These unspoken concerns seem to keep people from acting on what they fundamentally know is good for them.
Closing the Gap
For both employers and employees, the challenge is to move beyond awareness and into action. Awareness campaigns have often opened conversations but for them to have real impact, they need to be followed by structures and practices that make healthy behaviour the norm rather than the exception.
As with all complex dilemmas, there’s no easy fix. But here are some of the things we believe seem to really help.
Always remember, it’s the leaders that set the tone
When leaders and managers role-model switching off, protecting time and being open about their own limits, they give implicit permission for others to do the same
Small rituals create important signals
Whether it’s respecting protected ‘no meeting’ times, holding regular wellbeing check-ins, or honouring shared breaks, repeated habits gradually shift culture from words into lived behaviour
Boundaries deserve applaud and recognition
Instead of rewarding only the person who stretches the most, organisations can celebrate the teams that deliver strong work within sustainable limits. It’s obvious when read, but it’s rare to find in reality.
Support must be available, known and easy to access
Coaching, mental health resources, and flexible arrangements are valuable only if people feel safe enough to take them up without penalties to their career progression. Too often we see support offered just too late. Strike early, pre-empt problems and you’ll avoid doing everything through a remedial lens.
Walking the Talk
There’s not one part of me that believes mental health in the workplace will improve through campaigns and slogans alone, or through nice sounding values written on lovely walls.
It only improves when actions match intentions. When mental health isn’t an afterthought but woven into ‘who we are, and how the work in our place gets done’. For employers, this means re-examining the systems that shape behaviour. For employees, it may mean experimenting with small acts of boundary-setting and voicing needs rather than silently trying to bear it all. And doing this while supported. Nothing needs to be navigated alone.
The shift requires courage on both sides, but the rewards are worth it. A workplace that truly embodies its commitment to mental health isn’t just a nicer place to be. But it’s usually an organisation that turns out to be more creative, more resilient, and ultimately more sustainable.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be talking and sharing more about wellbeing, mental health and how coaching can play its part. Please follow us and join the conversation.