Welcome to the journey

8 out of 10 people feel like they should put more focus on self-care.

With our company Intao we run a program for holistic leadership development. It’s a holistic approach with the idea that leadership starts with who you are as a person and how you show up for yourself and others. We follow the idea: If you are strong and empowered, you can be the leader you want to be for others.

What do you think most of our participants answer when asked the question above?
An overwhelming majority of people (8 out of 10 out of all our participants) say that they need more balance and self-care.

When I started working in leadership development almost 20 years ago, life was simple: Work days had a beginning and an end, there was email and software but it was manageable. Work and life were for the most part separate. I remember carrying a card to clock in and out to track my working hours. When I wasn’t there, I simply wasn’t working.

At the same time, I always needed an IT-guy on standby to make sure the projector would connect with my laptop and working from home just wasn’t done and speaking about mindfulness and emotions in my trainings was still a touchy subject - not everyone was agreed that these ‚soft‘ topics had their place in professional training.

Things have changed greatly, some for the better, some not, but one thing remains true: Life now is way more complex than it used to be and that’s challenging!

Burn-out is exhaustion

The price for living in a digitalized, globalized world is a severe increase in mental health issues: In 2004, health insurances in Germany registered 0,6 burn-out cases for every 1000 clients. In 2022 this number has risen to a stunning 6,8.¹

And did you know, burn-out is simply that: The inability to cope with the requirements at work.

The ICD 11 officially defines it as “a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;

• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and

• reduced professional efficacy.²

In Germany alone, all this means 160 sick days per year for every 1000 professionals. That means, on average, we lose one whole work week for every single person due to exhaustion. And that’s just all the people who are so unwell that they go and visit a doctor…

Self-empowerment should be front and center

When we started the Leadership Journey I took this topic as a side note at first. Sure, that’s something to take care of but let’s also focus on xyz which is really about leadership like developing coaching skills or giving better feedback.

But over the years I’ve come to realize that THIS is what we should be focusing on: The switch from us being pushed around by all the requirements and requests of everyday life to feeling empowered to choose and shape.

The world is not going to stop throwing more at us. And as long as we haven’t collectively learned to make ‘what’s enough‘ part of the decision as an important factor, we each have to make sure we each individually are able to stay in a strong, healthy balance.

And that’s, what self-empowerment is: not feeling like you are merely reacting but to feel strong and free to act in the way that is best for yourself and others. It is the basis for being able to show up for others - be it the employees you manage or your family.

So there, that’s why I am writing and that’s what’s in it for you: Non-exhaustion, empowerment, more fulfillment, a life that’s worth living and the ability to have an impact.

1  https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/239872/umfrage/arbeitsunfaehigkeitsfaelle-aufgrund-von-burn-out-erkrankungen/

2  https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon#:~:text=Burn%2Dout%20is%20defined%20in,has%20not%20been%20successfully%20managed.