When it comes to a healthy life, many things are essential, but being a social creature, the importance of relationships stays and should stay on the top. Every single connection and interaction you have in your life is of utmost importance, whether it’s your relationship with your partner, manager, employees, or yourself. As a relationship and leadership coach, Babita Spinelli understands how the workplace can be made healthier and the role that leaders play in the process. Babita is the CEO of the Babita Spinelli Group and the founder and Clinical Director of Opening the Doors Psychotherapy. She also has experience in Corporate America as an attorney and Wall Street executive. New York Weekly Times recently listed her among the top 12 most inspirational women to look out for in 2022. In an interview with Influencive she said:
“Part of my role with executive therapy or mental health consulting is providing business leaders the space and tools to explore difficult and sometimes anxiety-driven topics. In business, there is not only pressure to succeed, but perfectionism takes over, or burnout occurs.”
Babita Spinelli is an expert on a variety of topics, including but not limited to burnout, mindset, healthy coping strategies, relationship issues, and dealing with high-stress environments. Babita’s personal experiences and clinical training as a psychoanalyst make her incredibly impactful in her work with high performers, leadership, and organizations. Babita believes that mental health in the workplace is the most under-focused area of mental health in America today. So many people are struggling with issues such as depression, anxiety, and burnout. They work too many hours, don’t balance their personal time and their work time, and end up feeling too exhausted to deal with life in general. This then leads to even more mental health issues. That’s why she is particularly concerned about workplace dynamics.
Babita believes that a healthy workplace must have the following characteristics:
1. A workplace where employees feel empowered and have all the tools they need to succeed.
2. A workplace with a safe infrastructure where healthy communication is encouraged.
3. A workplace where employees and their contributions are valued.
4. A workplace where respect is a top priority, including mutual respect for colleagues, management, and diversity.
5. A workplace that encourages team spirit and where everyone has a collective purpose and goal.
Babita repeatedly emphasizes the importance of creating a healthy workplace environment. She believes that leaders should prioritize their own mental health to work efficiently. She says:
“You can’t effectively lead if you are “half-empty.” You cannot effectively provide empathy to others without demonstrating empathy to yourself. If leaders do not care for their mental health and well-being, it will be difficult to create an environment where employees practice empathy.”
After working on their own health, leaders must also take care of their employees’ well-being. True leaders, she says, always prioritize building and maintaining a company culture that is invested in their employees’ mental health and wellness. She believes that leaders must see their concerns for employees’ mental health as a part of the fabric of their organization’s success.
Babita believes that leaders who focus on their employees’ mental health are role models for others. Here are some characteristics of true leaders according to Babita:
1. They regard mental health, both their own and that of employees, as their top priority.
2. They promote healthy behaviors, such as setting healthy boundaries, disconnecting from the workplace during vacation, and “calling it a day” at a reasonable hour.
3. They build, maintain, and promote a culture of empathy and connection.
4. They keep the workplace environment flexible and compassionate.
5. They invest in mental health training programs and workshops for employees and leadership.
6. They encourage productive feedback and conversations.
7. They recognize and respect the individuality of each employee.
Babita Spinelli and her organization offer many services regarding mental health in the workplace and corporate wellness. She works with leadership to eliminate the stigma around corporate mental health issues in their organizations through customized wellness programs, workshops, training, and speaking programs. She provides individual therapy and coaching services to executives and CEOs. Babita’s primary focus is to bring mental health and well-being awareness to the workplace through education, strategic thinking, leadership coaching,