Managers are the organization's immune system

Why "being healthy" should be on every manager's target agenda

As a passionate coach who works intensively with leadership, I see time and again that managers often set high goals for their teams and organizations, but overlook a crucial foundation: their own health. This should be clear: Health is not just a personal advantage, but a key success factor - for you and your organization.

But before we delve deeper, an important clarification: health is not a state, but a process.

1. health is an ongoing process, not a perfect goal

Nobody is always "completely healthy" - and that is not the aim. Rather, it is about continuously doing things that contribute to feeling and acting healthy. Health is a conscious, daily decision: Exercise, getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, setting clear boundaries and nurturing relationships.

As a manager, it's not just about staying healthy yourself, but setting a healthy example. Through your decisions, you show your team that it is okay to take breaks, consciously manage stress and take care of yourself even in hectic times. This role modeling creates a sustainable culture that integrates health into everyday life as a matter of course.

2. managers as the organization's immune system

Managers have a unique role: they act like the immune system of an organization.

What does that mean? A strong immune system recognizes challenges at an early stage, reacts flexibly to stress and ensures that the entire organism - in this case the organization - remains stable and can adapt to new circumstances.

- Healthy managers strengthen trust in the team, promote clear communication and ensure a stable, resilient working environment.
- If, on the other hand, a manager is constantly overwhelmed, unhealthy or permanently stressed, this attitude "infects" the organization: conflicts increase, employees become insecure and innovative strength decreases.

Your health affects far more than just your personal performance. It creates the conditions for your organization to remain efficient, flexible and sustainably successful.

3. healthy leadership strengthens creativity and innovation

Health and creativity are closely linked. A healthy body and mind enable you to think clearly, recognize complex relationships and develop innovative solutions. However, if you are constantly in a state of overload or exhaustion, your ability to be creative and open-minded decreases - and this is also transferred to your team.

A strong "organizational immune system" recognizes such patterns early on and reacts with targeted measures:

- Promoting a culture of breaks and relaxation
- Space for creative processes
- Psychological safety in which mistakes are allowed and growth occurs

4. leading by example instead of setting guidelines

It is not enough to formulate health as a goal for others - you have to set an example. But this is often the challenge: many managers are so busy looking after their team or their company that they neglect themselves.

The truth is: Your health is your most important resource as a leader. If you make sure to continuously take small steps towards well-being, you will not only inspire others, but also create a sustainable environment in which growth and innovation can flourish.

5. health as a central management principle

Health is not a "nice-to-have". It is at the heart of effective leadership. A manager who is healthy,

- makes better decisions,
- creates trust,
- inspires top performance and
- strengthens the organization's immune system.

Remember: it's not about being perfect. Health is a process, a constant dialog with yourself and your environment. By consciously shaping this process, you lay the foundation for sustainable success - for yourself, your team and your entire organization.

What are you doing for your health today? and tomorrow? and the day after?