Cornered Office: Why We Need to Talk about Leadership Mental Health - Hardcover

by Melissa Doman (Author)

The essential read for every manager, executive, and team leader who's exhausted from carrying it all―and is ready to take off the cape so they can finally get the support they need, too.

Cornered Office: Why We Need To Talk About Leadership Mental Health is a call to action for leaders, and the World of Work, to recognize and prioritize LEADERSHIP mental health. This critical leadership development book proves the case of why leaders need to be supported at work too, instead of focusing solely on raising up the people they lead. Written by renowned Organizational Psychologist, mental health at work expert, and two-time author Melissa Doman, MA--this book provides fresh thought leadership insights, data, vetted research, candid real-world interviews, a realistic approach to help leaders personalize how they manage their mental health at work, and how companies can champion these efforts.

This accessible, funny, and no-nonsense book will also help readers learn about:

• Why we need to challenge the powerful continued influence of out-of-date historical narratives surrounding leadership and emotional expressions of mental health struggles in the workplace
• The increasing complex demands from teams, company cultures, and society at large that impact leaders' mental health at work
• How the silence and exclusion of leaders in the mental health conversation can lead to deteriorating productivity, a negative impact on career path, and overall mental wellbeing

Cornered Office: Why We Need To Talk About Leadership Mental Health is an essential read for all managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and business professionals seeking to understand and end unhealthy, unsustainable, and unproductive leadership self-sacrifice, shift the narrative around leadership mental health, and take steps to participate in the mental health at work conversation, for themselves, to achieve the support they deserve.

Front Jacket

Managers, leaders, and executives have long been excluded from the workplace mental health conversation, often told either implicitly or explicitly that their titles "shield them" from the emotional challenges any other employee might face. These professional expectations and encouraged silence are not only unhealthy and unrealistic, but also unsustainable. Ultimately, harming leaders' careers, well-being, and the companies they serve.

In Cornered Office, Melissa Doman, MA, Organizational Psychologist and former mental health therapist, draws on her work with companies across industries and around the world to explain why leaders' mental health is just as important as everyone else's, and why it's a strategic business imperative. Doman exposes the outdated narratives and organizational dynamics that continue to discourage leaders from acknowledging their own mental health needs and provides a clear roadmap for changing this damaging culture.

This groundbreaking, disruptive book explores the historical baggage surrounding emotional displays in leadership, highlights the workplace phenomena that sustain silence, and reveals how the leadership "plate" is overflowing like never before in history. She also tasks companies to take organizational responsibility for shifting the narrative around leadership mental health and offers practical, actionable strategies that empower leaders to join the mental health conversation in a practical, personalized way. With guidance on approaching different workplace audiences--from direct reports to C-suite peers and more--this book gives leaders an adaptable framework they can apply based on their individual role, company, and career path.

Backed by validated research, real-world case studies, and interviews with leaders from various industries and levels of seniority, this book breaks down ingrained workplace practices and provides leaders with tools they can quickly implement to change how they approach their own mental health in their careers and companies.

Cornered Office is essential reading for managers, executives, and aspiring leaders who are ready to break the silence, lead with humanity, and demonstrate that struggle and success can coexist. If you're a leader who's tired of pretending like nothing should shake you at work, this book offers permission--and helpful strategies--to prioritize your mental health and become a more effective and healthier leader.

Back Jacket

PRAISE FOR CORNERED OFFICE

"Leaders can't afford to ignore their mental health. If they don't feel safe being open about their struggles or have the permission to figure out what they need to feel better, they won't do better for their team and organization. This book makes an undeniable case and provides a logical blueprint for supporting leadership mental health at work. A must-read."
--Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor

"As someone who has confronted my own mental health as a leader, I welcome this book with gratitude. Too often, we expect leaders to be unshakable when in truth, we are human first and leaders second. Breaking through outdated expectations of stoicism, Melissa Doman opens space for an honest, overdue conversation--and lays the groundwork for the systems and tools we need to make our organizations, and our lives, healthier."
--Alex Reid, Chief Communications Officer, Gates Foundation

"Melissa Doman's important work humanizes leaders in a way our workplaces desperately need, making a clear case for why supporting their mental health is essential for them to keep performing at the level we demand. As someone who experienced burnout firsthand, this book gives organizations the practical framework to stop expecting superhuman resilience and start creating the support systems that help leaders actually thrive."
--Jen Fisher, bestselling author; Founder and CEO, The Wellbeing Team

"This book flips the leadership script--finally giving leaders the tools and permission to care for their own mental health without guilt. With real-world stories, sharp research, and practical strategies, Melissa Doman delivers the support leaders have always given others--but rarely receive themselves. Must-read right here!"
--David Nurse, NBA optimization coach, former NBA player, Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and host of The David Nurse Show

"As a CEO who has trained and spoken to thousands of leaders globally, I understand firsthand how profoundly isolating and lonely leadership can be. Melissa's book made me feel seen. She gets 'it' in a way that most authors don't. This book lays out an essential framework that helps leaders navigate the stressful, often messy, high-pressure dynamics of the modern workplace--with their own emotional survival in mind. This gem is a critical resource that every leader needs."
--Kwame Christian, Esq., MA, CEO of the American Negotiation Institute

Author Biography

MELISSA DOMAN, MA, is an Organizational Psychologist, former mental health therapist, mental health at work expert, and author of the seminal work, Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work (Here's Why And How To Do It Really Well). She works with companies worldwide, including clients like Google, Salesforce, Estée Lauder, the Orlando City Soccer Club, and Siemens, helping them develop essential skills for productive conversations about mental health at work, team dynamics, and workplace communication. She has been featured as a subject matter expert in major media outlets, including the BBC, CNBC, Vogue, NPR, Fast Company, Inc., and was named by LinkedIn as a Top 10 Voice on Mental Health globally.