May is Mental Health Awareness Month—a powerful invitation for leaders to pause and ask: Are we creating conditions where our teams can truly thrive? Not just perform. Not just survive. But thrive, fully and sustainably.
It’s a daunting question, especially when you consider how many leaders feel ill-equipped to address mental health. After all, we’re not therapists or trauma experts. We’re strategists, operators, builders. But in today’s workplace, mental health isn’t a personal issue or an HR sideline—it’s a leadership imperative. And the good news is: you don’t have to be a clinician to make a meaningful difference.
You do, however, have to be human.
The Lead in 3D framework helps leaders navigate the complexities of modern leadership by aligning their efforts across three essential dimensions: Me (personal wellbeing), We (team performance and culture), and World (the broader impact of our work and influence). This approach invites leaders to reimagine success not as sacrifice, but as alignment—creating conditions where wellbeing and performance fuel each other.
With that foundation in mind, the following four tools—drawn from the work of fellow leadership experts—offer accessible, practical ways to support your team’s mental health this month and beyond. From building trust to reshaping culture, these approaches reinforce that you don’t need to be a clinician to lead with care and courage.
1. Start with Me: Build Your Own Resilience to Model What’s Possible
Mental health leadership begins with self-leadership. That’s not indulgent—it’s foundational. In my work, I challenge leaders to get radically clear on their own needs, rhythms, and values. Because if we don’t take our own wellbeing seriously, we send a silent signal to our teams that they shouldn’t either.
Dr. Carylynn Larson echoes this in her talk, Break | Through: How Healing Communities Drive Success. She shares research and real-world stories showing that burnout and emotional distress are widespread—even in high-performing teams. But the problem isn’t just lack of resources. It’s lack of trust. Too often, people are afraid to raise their hands for help.
That’s why leaders must go first. When we share—even gently—that we’re human, it creates a ripple effect of psychological safety that allows others to do the same. You don’t need to overshare. You just need to show up as real.
2. Strengthen We: Create a Culture Where People Can Exhale
The “We” dimension of 3D leadership is about building teams that perform brilliantly because they’re grounded in empathy and shared humanity—not in spite of it.
Jennifer Eisenreich’s keynote, The Urgency of Connection, reminds us that high performance isn’t built on hustle alone—it’s powered by micro-moments of belonging. Through poignant stories and well-placed humor, she makes a case for the transformative power of everyday interactions: greeting someone at the elevator, putting down the phone in a meeting, asking how a colleague’s doing—and actually listening.
It’s easy to underestimate these moments. But they compound. In workplaces starved for human connection, these are the oxygen that keeps people going.
3. Elevate World: Lead with Values That Extend Beyond Your Role
Mental health support isn’t just an internal matter. The way we lead affects our companies, communities, and culture at large. The World dimension asks us to consider: What legacy are we creating through the way we work?
Dr. Anthony Randall speaks to this directly in Practicing Excellence: Transforming Leaders and Forging Excellence in the Public Square. He challenges leaders to cultivate character, emotional intelligence, and moral clarity—not as soft skills, but as the hard edge of true leadership. By fostering high-integrity cultures, we not only uplift individuals—we change the systems in which they operate.
This is particularly relevant in the ongoing national conversation around burnout, trust, and toxic workplace norms. Leaders don’t just influence quarterly performance. They shape what’s possible for the people who look to them.
4. Reimagine Systems: Make Mental Health a Shared Design Priority
Finally, we must move beyond individual behaviors to reimagine the systems that shape work itself. Rajiv Mehta’s keynote, Mapping Ourselves: A Foundation for Camaraderie in a Tech-driven World, offers a practical and inspiring path forward.
He invites us to look closely at how we spend our time, where our energy goes, and how we support one another—not theoretically, but tangibly. Through personal data, beautiful visualizations, and stories of small behavior shifts, Rajiv shows how workplaces can become ecosystems of mutual support and shared understanding.
It’s a reminder that mental health isn’t solved with snacks and apps. It takes real inquiry. Honest mapping. And the courage to co-design new norms that reflect how humans actually function best.
As Mental Health Month unfolds, we don’t need more pressure—we need more presence. More willingness to ask, “What kind of leader do I want to be right now?”
You don’t need to be a clinician to support mental health. You just need to be intentional. Empathetic. Human.
And if you’re looking for fresh ideas, tools, and inspiration, check out the free Work Rehumanized event series. You’ll get inspiration, guidance, and tools how to lead with more clarity, compassion, and courage.
Because when we lead in 3D, we don’t just protect mental health—we unlock the full potential of what leadership can be.