Soft skills, EQ, and mental wellness

or — it’s all the same game

Every company has some kind of EQ or “soft skills” initiative.

They want employees who are better communicators, better leaders, better contributors, more courageous, more willing to be vulnerable, and less need for mental health days.

Execs and HR want employees who have a high degree of mental wellness — because they think it will improve morale and productivity. They are correct in this hypothesis. Higher mental wellness does lead to happier and more productive employees — but there’s a cost. The execs and HR need to fully understand the problem and they don’t.

They don’t because they want a fast, cheap, convenient solution to a problem that has a long build cycle, expensive consequences, and uncomfortable conversations. ie, execs and HR need to be thinking long game, role modeling, and learning a lot that seems frivolous. “Why should I lean mental wellness, I’m the CEO and I’m ok!”.

No — you aren’t.

You are actually a bad leader, an un-caring leader, and frankly, not really a leader at all — despite your title. Oh, and you are afraid to learn how your own head works.

Many people are afraid to learn how their heads work — because of some misguided fear that they will be labeled negatively. Seriously?? How about you can learn to improve, adapt, and be a better human.

I’ve had struggles with general anxiety, depression, social anxiety, and imposter syndrome. I understand the struggle. That was then, this is now.

How is now better?

• I got some education
• I learned new mental models
• I learned and practiced new skills
• I practiced gratitude for simple things (daily french pressed coffee)
• And I came to grips with my mortality

Learning and practice are keys to this transformation.

Back in the dark days, I wouldn’t have had the courage to write this. Today I see how it may help someone and that’s all the value I need.

Companies who want to improve employee mental health need to talk with someone with both a strong business team performance and a clinical mental health background. Meditation, free lunch, therapists, and bring your dog to work policies are woefully inadequate.

This is a solvable problem.

40 Percent Better is the brainchild of two Silicon Valley miracle workers. One spent years helping patients recover from the worst of mental health problems, the other delivered “impossible” software, support, and marketing projects small and large companies. Both used the same core skills and mental models to enable others.