The Silent Battle Between CEO Mental Health and the Cost of Stoicism
- Brainz Magazine
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Dr Amo Raju OBE DL has an extensive amount of experience in creating and managing disability services and EDI issues. His personal battles with depression, whilst rising to the top of his profession, have given him a unique perception of leadership. Amo is the author of the best-selling book 'Walk Like A Man', which is available on Amazon.
Leadership is often mythologised as the domain of the unshakable, a trait of those who wear strength like armour and never let it crack. Yet after thirty years in leadership and through the personal reckonings I chronicled in my book Walk Like A Man, I’ve learned that the weight of leadership is measured not in IQ points but in emotional endurance.
The mental health of a CEO remains one of the most taboo subjects in business. Fluctuations in well-being are buried beneath polished speeches and shareholder reports, treated as personal failures rather than human realities. But silence has a price, one paid not just by leaders but by effect within their teams, their organisations and the futures expected in the company business plan.
I recall an early career milestone when I led a high-stakes, high-profile project, the purchase of a brand-new HQ building with funds from three very different sources and three very different levels of engagement from each funding source. Externally, the project was a success, acclaimed, awarded and admired. Internally, I was unravelling. The pressure to be the “inspirational disabled leader,” a fearless man who never faltered, forced me to smother every doubt and fear. I still recall one very late night in my office, hollowed out by mental exhaustion, wondering if I could go on. I said nothing and at the eleventh hour and fifty-ninth minute, the deal went through.
That experience revealed a truth we rarely admit: a leader’s mental health is the foundation of organisational health. When it erodes, decision-making becomes brittle. Vision narrows to crisis management. Teams, attuned to the subtlest shifts in leadership, absorb the strain. Disengagement spreads, talent scatters and cultures fray. In my case, beneath the applause, turnover climbed, but I could no longer ignore the fluctuating levels of stress and confidence.
Healing required uncomfortable acts: vulnerability, professional support from a therapist and a reckoning with my own definitions of strength. I discovered resilience isn’t forged in silence; it’s built through structure, self-awareness, and the humility to say, “I need help.”
This isn’t just personal; it’s strategic. A leader’s wellbeing directly fuels or sabotages innovation, morale and growth. Conversely, leaders who model balance create cultures where psychological safety thrives, where authenticity becomes a competitive advantage.
My call to leaders is this: treat mental health as you would financial health, with proactive, disciplined investment. Embed coaching and reflection into your rhythm, not as reparations but as routine maintenance. Redefine vulnerability as the antidote to isolation, not a liability.
The healthiest organisations I know are led by those who’ve discarded the myth of the invincible leader. They understand that mental health isn’t a static state but a dynamic process, one that demands the same courage as any business transformation.
Because leadership isn’t about performing invulnerability, it’s about leading like a human, openly, imperfectly and with the wisdom to know that true strength begins with self-awareness.
Read more from Dr. Amo Raju
Dr. Amo Raju OBE DL, Disability Influencer & Ambassador
Dr. Amo Raju OBE DL is a disabled person with an incredible back story captured in his best-selling book 'Walk Like A Man.' Having defied societal expectations, Amo became a bhangra singer with two recording contracts, CEO of a multi-million pound UK charity, a politician, and recipient of countless awards. Today he enjoys mentoring the next generation of disabled people in leadership positions as well as keynote speeches on international stages.
