Many companies rolled out apps and support programs for employees during the pandemic. The need is real as the psychological and emotional trauma of the past 18 months has been significant. The question, however, is their impact. In my latest piece for strategy+business, I argue that more expansive thinking and a deeper commitment from organizations and their leaders is needed.

In a time of rapid change and disruption, a leader’s pursuit of transactional efficiency is the fastest path to irrelevance because it crowds out necessary transformational thinking. A wellness app or program, no matter how well designed, simply adds to the transactional load unless it’s accompanied by a deeper shift in our mental model of work and life. Perceiving the faint signals of change on the horizon is far more valuable than clearing out an inbox. Busyness rarely results in breakthroughs. Leading calls for creating the conditions in which people thrive, not pushing them to exhaustion. The organizations best prepared for the uncertainty and turbulence ahead might be those that choose leaders who know how to slow down, connect deeply, and even switch off.

How are you attending to your own wellness and the resilience of those you lead? Take a long walk and then get back to me.