What Naomi Osaka Can Teach Us About How Leaders Can Support and Manage Mental Health

Join CCL's Ren Washington and Allison Barr as they explore what we can learn from tennis star Naomi Osaka about the role leaders play in supporting and managing mental health.

In June 23-year-old Naomi Osaka, the No. 2 ranked tennis player in women’s tennis, withdrew from Wimbledon. This happened in the wake of Osaka withdrawing, in the second round from the French Open in a storm of controversy caused by her decision to skip mandatory post-match news conferences.

Osaka revealed she had been dealing with anxiety and depression since taking the spotlight after winning the U.S. Open in 2018, the first of her 4 grand slam titles. The pressure of the media and expectation was causing Osaka to pay a big price.

Our collective mental health was thrust into the spotlight during the pandemic, but what happens as we transition to the new hybrid work reality? Let's follow Osaka's example and have an open conversation about the role leaders play in managing and supporting mental health.

In this episode we explore how Osaka's acknowledgment of her own anxiety and depression is helping to normalize the conversation around mental health, and what leaders today can do to lead with that. 

Related Resources:

3 Evidence-Based Strategies to Help Leaders Cope with Pandemic Stress: https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/3-evidence-based-strategies-to-help-leaders-cope-with-pandemic-stress/ 

5 Steps for Tackling Difficult Conversations: 

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/5-steps-for-tackling-tough-conversations/ 

Use Active Listening to Coach Others: 

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/coaching-others-use-active-listening-skills/ 

Managing Remote Employees: How to Lead from a Distance: https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/managing-remote-employees-how-to-lead-from-a-distance/ 

Leadership Development: https://www.ccl.org/leadership-challenges/individual-leadership-development-high-potential-employees/ 

--

About the Center for Creative Leadership:

Leadership is all we do. But our approach is distinct. We work with you to discover your priorities and customize our unique leadership solutions to best fit your needs. We create leaders who move their worlds. Our innovative solutions are steeped in extensive research and experience gained from tens of thousands of organizations, a million+ leaders at all levels, and leaders in more than 130 countries, across 6 continents. We deliver results that matter – sustained impact for you, your business and the world. www.ccl.org 

Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) Social:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CenterforCreativeLeadership ​

Twitter - https://twitter.com/CCLdotORG ​

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-creative-leadership/​

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ccldotorg/