Well-being as a Driver of Success in Leaders 

Well-being is a complex concept that involves several aspects: physical, mental, and emotional health. Achieving optimal well-being can be a challenge for many people, particularly in the fast-paced and demanding BANI world that today’s leaders face. 

The “BANI world” reflects a global reality full of nuances, marked by Fragility, Anxiety, Non-linearity, and Incomprehensibility. 

Business leaders have a huge responsibility to take care of themselves and look after their own well-being. They must be well first to help their teams stay healthy and thus create favorable work environments. A leader who is unwell will affect their employees, causing them anxiety and stress through inappropriate behaviors: shouting, rudeness, disparagement, lack of support, lack of active listening, excessive control, poor time management, etc. This will lead to decreased productivity, absenteeism, high turnover, and other problems that generate economic losses for companies. 

The first aspect to consider is self-awareness. What kind of leader am I? Do I consider myself authoritarian, with everyone fearing me, believing only I am right? Or am I a leader who inspires and supports my team, providing them with the autonomy and necessary tools to do their job well? 

The second aspect is: Do I sleep well, eat healthily, and exercise? What is my relationship like at home with my family? We are one person; if we have problems at home, they will be reflected at work and vice versa. It is inevitable; we are the same being, which is why we need to manage our emotions effectively and be aware of our actions. What companies need today are leaders who are mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy. 

The term well-being encompasses many aspects, from how we feel about our lives, jobs, and relationships. It’s not just about happiness and health, but also about living life to its fullest potential. There are various well-being models that will help us experience greater satisfaction and a deeper sense of meaning. 

I will focus on the most well-known: PERMA by Martin Seligman, considered the father of positive psychology. 

The first P stands for Positive Emotions, E for Engagement, R for Positive Relationships, M for Meaning, and A for Achievement. 

Positive Emotions: Feeling positive emotions has significant repercussions in many areas of life. We experience positive emotions when we feel interested, enthusiastic, proud, attentive, active, strong, inspired, or determined. These emotions contrast with negative emotions such as sadness, fear, anger, disgust, and repulsion. 

Engagement: This refers to the ability to be fully absorbed in a task you are performing. A factor that contributes to happiness and life satisfaction is engaging in activities that interest us and in which we can be completely focused; activities that challenge us and require us to use our knowledge, skills, and abilities, such as musical creation, literary creation, drawing, climbing, sailing, and playing chess, among others. 

Positive Relationships: Most things that produce well-being develop with other people. Positive interpersonal relationships can occur in a work context, where interests or viewpoints are shared, with friends who have similar expectations, shared reciprocally. Positive social relationships are associated with good physical and emotional health; they particularly help people feel well integrated into their environment and satisfied. 

Meaning: This involves using cognitive and emotional abilities to engage in activities that positively contribute to the development of a group of people, a community, or a country. These activities could include education, combating poverty, conserving natural resources, political activities, among others. Even if your job is not related to this, everyone can contribute to helping others in their role in society. This is what meaning is about: helping others. 

Achievements: People like to achieve, meet their goals, win, and control what they do when they do it for their own interest and motivation. Having clear goals and achieving them is very gratifying. 

Finally, the idea of knowing the elements of well-being is for you as a leader to reflect on what aspects you can improve and consequently make an action plan and execute it. This will allow you to feel happier, more satisfied with your life personally and professionally, and therefore more successful. Remember: Happy people = profitable companies = healthier societies.