Skip navigation
Leading for Wellness
Book

Leading for Wellness

How to Create a Team Culture Where Everyone Thrives

Wiley, 2025 more...

Buy the book


Editorial Rating

8

getAbstract Rating

  • Analytical
  • Applicable
  • Well Structured

Recommendation

Workplace wellness advocates Patricia Grabarek and Katina Sawyer encourage leaders to prevent employee stress and burnout by becoming “Generators” who help workers feel energized and productive. Generators set a positive example for work-life balance, communicate honestly with employees, provide flexible work environments that support individual needs, and protect their teams from overwork. At the end of every chapter, the authors offer worksheets that allow leaders to reflect and encourage them to take action that supports wellness.

Summary

Leaders should be “Generators.”

Research from Gallup indicates that in 2022, employee burnout cost companies over $3 billion worldwide. Companies often introduce wellness programs as add-ons aimed at the symptoms of stress and burnout. Such approaches can worsen stress and burnout because they ignore the underlying sources of both. For example, when a veterinary clinic’s surveys showed that staff felt burned out from constantly working overtime, human resources sent employees to an online course on being more resilient. They required them to complete it within a week. Staff had no time for training during business hours, and had to take the course over their weekends, leaving them even more burned out and frustrated.

To promote employee wellness, business leaders must regard workers as human beings with physical, mental, and emotional health needs as well as personal lives. Leaders should aspire to be “Generators”: individuals who energize their teams by creating workplaces that engage employees and help them perform their best. They should never be “Extinguishers” who force employees to work longer and harder. Generators boost employee productivity and serve business...

About the Authors

Patricia Grabarek and Katina Sawyer are the co-founders of Workr Beeing and industrial-organizational psychologists.


Comment on this summary

More on this topic

Related Skills

Become More Adaptable
Convert Prospects
Develop Team Members
Foster a Culture of Innovation
Human Resources
Innovation
Lead Ethically
Manage Change
Management
Master Collaboration
Personal Growth
Plan and Strategize Your Sales
Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Sales
Shape Organizational Culture
Workplace Skills
Overcome Loneliness
Communicate Effectively
Gain People's Trust
Enhance Employee Experience
Build Strong Relationships
Create a Sense of Belonging
Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Manage Sales Teams
Mentor Employees
Excel at Conversations
Foster Team Culture
Work Remotely
Coach People
Understand Emotions
Understand Yourself
Become an Ally to Minority Team Members
Strengthen Team Collaboration
Understand Team Dynamics
Build Team Cohesion
Foster Ownership in Others
Manage Stress
Develop Self-Awareness
Promote Failure-tolerance
Lead Yourself
Drive Team Performance
Support Employees’ Mental Health
Navigate Office Politics
Navigate Difficult Conversations
Foster Open Communication
Navigate Leadership Challenges
Manage Your Leadership Impact
Facilitate Group Ideation
Practice Transformational Leadership
Build Prospect Rapport
Manage People and Talent
Be Authentic
Live Well
Motivate Your Team
Facilitate Discussions
Practice Humility
Leadership
Lead Inclusively
Lead through Change
Manage Your Emotions
Manage Employee Relations
Practice Gratitude
Practice Servant Leadership
Soft Skills
Master Interpersonal Skills
Build Psychological Safety
Improve Your Mental Health
Be Emotionally Intelligent
Support Others
Communicate Transparently
Support Employees’ Well-being
Show Empathy and Compassion
Build and Maintain Well-Being
Cultivate Positivity
Dare to be Vulnerable