Why Leadership Success Starts with Prioritizing Your Wellbeing

By Myrto Legaki, a leadership and corporate wellbeing consultant, keynote speaker, and founder of One Breath Mindfulness Center.

Recently, while facilitating a training on wellbeing for a group of senior leaders at a Fortune 50 technology company, I saw some familiar patterns emerge among participants: difficulty in prioritizing personal wellbeing, hesitation in taking time for selfcare, and a desire to “do it all perfectly.” 

I believe these observations echo what many leaders across industries feel. Loving what you do, wanting to excel, and navigating high-stakes environments can make prioritizing your wellbeing seem impossible, particularly when life’s challenges collide with career demands.

The Challenge: Balancing Wellbeing with High Demands

For many of us, taking time for personal wellbeing sounds appealing but often feels out of reach in practice. For those who lead, prioritizing self-care can be particularly difficult. There’s a natural tendency to want to keep it all together for your team, company, and family—often at the expense of your own needs. Yet sacrificing personal health for others isn’t sustainable, and it's time to reframe self-care not as an indulgence, but as an essential part of effective leadership.

Many have even internalized a “leader’s burden” mentality: the belief that they must keep it all together for their teams, families, and companies, often at the expense of their own needs. But the truth is, sacrificing personal health for the sake of others isn’t sustainable, and it’s time to reframe selfcare not as an indulgence, but as a leadership imperative.

The Perfection Trap

Another common theme that emerged in the workshop was the pressure many leaders feel to do selfcare “perfectly.” This perfectionist mindset, which can often be a strength in the workplace, can ironically undermine wellbeing efforts. Trying to stick to rigid wellness routines can lead to frustration or guilt when plans are disrupted. But as anyone juggling work and life knows, even the best-laid plans often need to be adjusted. 

4 Strategies To Incorporate Wellbeing Into Your Leadership Journey

So, how do we navigate these complex pressures and make selfcare a sustainable, meaningful part of our lives? Let’s look at some strategies that you can embrace to make wellbeing a non-negotiable component of your leadership journey.

1. Aim for Consistency, Not Perfection

One of the biggest obstacles to wellbeing is the unrealistic expectation of doing everything perfectly. Instead of aiming for perfection, try aiming for consistency. “Good Enough” Is my favorite new motto! 

Consistency means finding small, achievable steps that can be maintained over time, rather than setting up idealistic goals that fall apart under life’s inevitable disruptions. 

For example, if a morning workout doesn’t happen, find another moment in the day to be active, perhaps taking a walk during a conference call or doing some short workout routine at home after the workday ends. 

Having a Plan B for when plans don’t go as expected helps sustain long-term habits, even when life throws curveballs. This perspective shift, from perfection to consistency, makes all the difference. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint. By allowing yourself the flexibility to adapt, you make wellbeing something sustainable rather than another source of stress. 

2. Selfcare Is Health Care

A powerful reminder that often resonates is a quote by the Dalai Lama: “If you can’t take care of yourself, you’re not qualified to take care of anyone else.” Selfcare is not an optional luxury; it’s a fundamental necessity, especially for those who lead.

When we prioritize our health, mental, physical, and emotional, we enhance our ability to lead. Selfcare allows us to show up as our best selves, energized and present, ready to make sound decisions and guide our teams. 

Leaders who are burnt out or running on empty are more likely to make poor decisions, mismanage stress, and struggle to adapt to challenges. Seeing selfcare as essential rather than optional can be a game-changer. Think of it as “putting your oxygen mask on first” so that you’re better equipped to be there for others.

3. Wellbeing Is a Leadership Responsibility

One common barrier to selfcare is the feeling of “not having time.” However, wellbeing is not an extra item on your to-do list, it’s a core component of effective leadership. Embracing this mindset can be transformative. When you recognize that selfcare is part of your role, it shifts from being a “should” to a “must.”

A commitment to selfcare is ultimately a commitment to better leadership. When you feel overwhelmed, or when you are tempted to leave your wellbeing efforts to the side, remind yourself that wellbeing is as integral to your role as any other responsibility. 

So perhaps it’s time to view your scheduled workouts as part of your job, and safeguard this time for yourself, knowing that it will bring benefits in the long run for your leadership.

In fact, when coaching C-suite executives, I often find that the most successful ones are those who have realized that selfcare is a non-negotiable part of their leadership skills.

4. What Gets Measured Gets Improved

For those who are goal-oriented and thrive on structure and data, quantifying wellbeing can help transform it from a vague aspiration into a clear, actionable priority. Setting measurable goals around health and selfcare routines can make the idea of wellbeing more tangible and keep you accountable.

Start small by tracking something simple, like the number of steps you make, the hours you sleep, how much water you drink, or even how often you take breaks during the workday. Wearables like the Apple watch, the Oura ring or Whoop, can help a lot here.

By quantifying these small habits, you can create a way to measure progress, just as you would for any other professional goal. Over time, these “small wins” accumulate, leading to greater improvements in your overall wellbeing. This approach brings structure to selfcare, helping you see it as an achievable, measurable goal rather than an elusive ideal. 

Moving Forward: Making Wellbeing a Priority

The truth is, prioritizing wellbeing is rarely easy, especially when you’re deeply invested in your work and leading a team. Yet, the benefits for both yourself and those you lead are undeniable. In leadership, it’s essential that we challenge the notion that success and self-sacrifice must go hand in hand.

Instead, let’s redefine leadership to include selfcare as an integral component. Embracing balance over perfection, reframing selfcare as essential, and treating wellbeing as a measurable goal not only support our own health but also empower us to lead with clarity, resilience, and authenticity.

Leadership is no longer about how much we can endure, but about how wisely we can sustain ourselves and those who count on us. When we prioritize wellbeing, we create a ripple effect that inspires our teams, elevates our organizations, and leads to a healthier, more balanced, and more resilient future for all.