Leading Through Tough Times
How to Support Real Resilience and Behavioral Health at Work
If you’re leading a team, it can feel like you’re trying to hold it all together in the middle of a natural disaster. That’s because, in many ways, you are — and so is everyone else. As Dr. Kira Mauseth, disaster psychologist and resilience expert, says: the tools we use to recover from disasters and crises can (and should) be applied to how we lead at work, too.
In our recent conversation, Kira shared a practical breakdown of what behavioral health really means at work, why transparency and active listening matter more than ever, and how we can understand resilience in a way that doesn’t just feel like more “grit” and burnout.
Below, I’ve pulled together her best takeaways and frameworks from our conversation — think of this as your mini field guide for healthier leadership.
What is Behavioral Health at Work?
Many people think “behavioral health” is just a synonym for mental health. But it’s bigger than that.
Behavioral health includes mental health and things like substance use, coping skills, communication, and the ways we function with others. It’s about whether people feel supported enough to engage well, cope with stress, and communicate effectively or whether they’re suffering in silence.
For leaders, that means behavioral health isn’t just HR’s job — it’s baked into how you lead, listen, communicate, and model boundaries.
Leadership Tactic #1: Be Transparent (Even When It’s Uncomfortable)
One of Kira’s most practical insights? Your team would rather you say “I don’t know” than stay silent.
In stressful times, leaders often feel like they should hold cards close to the chest. But research shows that teams trust leaders more when they share what they know and what they don’t.
Good practice: If you have bad news brewing, say: “Here’s what I know. Here’s what I don’t know yet. Here are the possibilities.”
Your people want honesty over false certainty. That trust creates more cohesion, especially when things are uncertain.
Leadership Tactic #2: Listen More Than You Fix
Active listening sounds obvious but is shockingly rare. And it doesn’t mean turning meetings into therapy sessions.
It means genuinely listening, reflecting back what you hear, and validating feelings — without trying to “solve” everything. Sometimes, an “I understand” is all we need.
Remember: You’re not taking your team’s problems home with you. You’re not stepping outside healthy boundaries. You’re helping them feel seen, which can be more helpful than a solution you can’t realistically deliver anyway.
Leadership Tactic #3: Model Healthy Boundaries
If you say you value work-life balance but you’re sending emails at midnight, guess what your team learns? Boundaries are for other people.
Kira and I discussed some very simple actions:
If you work late, schedule emails to send the next day.
Normalize the “off” bucket — not just “on” and “on-call.”
Let people know when they can (and can’t) reach you.
When you model boundaries, you give people permission to protect theirs, too.
A Better Way to Think About Resilience
“Resilience” can feel like a loaded word. For many, it’s become synonymous with putting up with endless crap.
Kira reframes it beautifully: real resilience is not just grit — it’s a set of four ingredients that help you stay grounded and adaptable when life (or work) is hard.
Think of it like a tree:
Roots: Connection. Who are your people? Where’s your sense of belonging?
Trunk: Adaptability. Like the Hawaiian ʻōhiʻa tree that holds its breath during eruptions, adaptability is what keeps you alive when the landscape changes.
Fruit: Purpose. Your “why” is the mix of goals and meaning that keep you growing.
Moss: Hope. Hope grows even in the dark, when it’s cold. It might be quiet, but it’s there.
Use this with your team: Talk about which ingredients feel strong and which need tending. If adaptability is low, what needs to shift? If purpose feels lost, where can you clarify meaning and direction?
Small Changes Make Big Impact
There’s no magic fix for burnout or the many “disaster cascades” we’re living through. But Kira shared that leaders can do small things that matter more than you think:
Set micro-boundaries: Let your team know they can step away when needed — and show them you’ll do the same.
Know how people want to be recognized: Ask! (Pro tip: the “5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace” is a helpful tool.)
Help your team prepare for uncertainty: If layoffs or cuts are looming, don’t pretend otherwise. Support your people in thinking about options and purpose — they’ll feel more respected and are more likely to stick around.
Make coping tools tiny: Restoration doesn’t have to be an hour at the gym. It could be a two-minute laugh with a friend, a sticky note reminder, or just permission to switch off.
One Last Thing
Resilience, real boundaries, and behavioral health aren’t checkboxes to tick off. They’re ways to lead like a human — and to let the people around you be human, too.
As Kira says: “We don’t make good decisions when we’re stuck in survival mode. Model a different way, and you make it easier for everyone to breathe.”
Here’s to more breathing room for all of us.
If you’d like to listen to the Hard at Work episode with Dr. Kira Mauseth, you can find it here.
