The lesson Simone Biles taught CEOs today

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What do your employees, colleagues, or teammates have in common with Simone Biles?

A.     Nothing at all.

B.     They are GOATS! (Greatest Of All Time)

C.     Mental health is on their minds.

D.    B and C

This week, Ms. Biles, the world's greatest gymnast, known for handling pressure and has a variety of coaches at her disposal, withdrew from Olympics competition citing her mental health as the reason.

Simone Biles said, "I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha!"

"Physically, I feel good. Emotionally it varies on the time and moment." Ms. Biles told a reporter after she withdrew. (SOURCE: NBC News 7/27/2021)

Professionals across businesses feel the same way as Ms. Biles. They are acting like the pressure of the past year has not affected them, but it has. They feel well physically but not emotionally.


It took an emotional toll over the last year when people had to...

  • turn dining rooms into classrooms

  • become teachers for their children and help them overcome social changes

  • stay healthy and keep their families safe from the deadly pandemic

  • care for loved ones who got ill, suffered, and died

People had to do all of that, plus oversee changes within their teams and supporting their people, while performing at the highest levels with minimal support from the highest levels within their companies.

They did it all while grieving.

People have been grieving for lost loved ones, lost childhood experiences for their kids, and lost career opportunities and goals. Many grieved and performed under pressure alone because so many companies did not put a priority on mental health. Some companies even exacerbated the mental health decline of their people, which has shown up as burnout and resignations.

It is unreasonable for companies who ignored mental health during the last year to expect people to stick around now. Something needs to change or people will exit, like Ms. Biles did this week.

Consulting giant McKinsey even says, “…identifying behavioral-health conditions and offering the necessary support for employees affected by them should be a top C-suite priority.” (SOURCE: McKinsey 7/23/2021)

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The good news: it’s not too late. You can do something to help your people before they exit.

CEOs who care will lead the way.

McKinsey shares three specific strategies companies can employ to improve mental health in their workplaces.

Use the strategies to bring your team of GOATS together to improve the culture, and bring home championships. Or, risk losing them to someone else who is doing just that.