The Pressure of Being a Boss

May is Mental Health Awareness Month but personally, I believe we should be paying attention to this topic 24/7/365. The level of stigma associated with mental health astonishes me. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, an estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older, which calculates to about one in four adults, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder each year. One in four. So next time you’re playing a game of cards, having dinner with your friends, or spending time with your family members, remember that there is a strong potential for one of you to be diagnosed with a mental disorder this year.

I have been fascinated with mental health my entire life. I was too intimidated to pursue my fascination academically, so I opted for a career in public relations, which, due to the influences of Sigmund Freud, carries a lot of psychology theory in its practice. As a business owner, I often wonder what sort of mental health disorders I and my entrepreneurial colleagues experience as we breathe life into our dreams. From deep depression and anxiety to mood swings and extreme narcissism, I am confident we have experienced all of the above and then some. So how do we deal with these highs and lows?  How do we know when or how to ask for help?

Over the past several weeks I’ve watched the show “The Dropout,” which tells the story of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, and “We Crashed,” which reveals how the company We Work (created by Adam and Rebekah Neumann) came crashing down around them. All three suffered from extreme narcissistic behaviors that eventually led to the demise of their companies. It was clear that all three were visionaries who had ideas that were interruptive and innovative. Both companies generated the financial support we all seek for funding our entrepreneurial dreams. Both companies had staff who were willing to work around the clock with the fierce loyalty we all crave as business owners. Both companies had boards of advisors who were leaders in their own rights. And, both companies had the ability to “Gumby” themselves by shifting the company in a new direction when trouble seemed imminent.

I have concluded that business owners must be a bit narcissistic to be successful. Not to the level of developing narcissistic personality disorder, but enough to maintain the confidence and tenacity needed to lead a team. I firmly believe this, which is why business owners surround themselves with people that we will listen to and that will help us from turning our companies into Theranos, We Work, or any of the companies whose leaders eventually became their Achilles heel. It’s important for business owners to have someone around them they can trust and who will reign them in, should they become like Icarus and fly too close to the sun. Moreover, business owners should not be afraid of conducting their own self-assessment when one’s footing becomes uneasy and the vision for your company feels out of reach for some inexplicable reason.

I encourage each of you to take this time and assess your own mental health. Remember one in four will be diagnosed this year. One in four. Look around you. Are you the one?  

If you or anyone you know needs help, please visit the https://econa.net/. Econa is a company founded by and for entrepreneurs. Their mission is to provide entrepreneurs with entrepreneur-centric mental wellness solutions.