What does leadership mean to you?
Leadership is about inspiring people to grow to their full potential. When you do that, business grows, communities grow, wisdom grows and impact grows.
What do you see as the key attributes of great leadership?
For me, mindfulness is the key leadership attribute. If we are not in tune with our own emotional state and that of those around us, we cannot connect deeply and authentically enough to inspire people and they will not trust us enough to take the risks growth entails. This means humility, patience, respect, non-judgment, perspective taking, deep listening, inclusion, compassion, honesty, positive regard for all, vulnerability, resisting the urge to fix people or push solutions on them. All of this takes ongoing deep inner work on our own conditioning, triggers, fears, feelings of inadequacy and much more. Its a practice and its not (yet) being taught in most business schools or most leadership development programs.
What do you find most rewarding about leading?
Seeing people blossom and fulfil their potential, especially when they are surprised that the leader saw something in them that they could not yet see. This is priceless.
What have been your greatest leadership challenges and how have you overcome them?
In 2019 I experienced burnout, depression, anxiety and chronic insomnia. Despite medication and therapy, I still had to quit my job, which I was no longer able to do effectively due to my condition. This was my dream job so losing it was heart breaking. My biggest leadership challenge was the self-leadership required to get through this traumatic transition and find a whole new way of being in and contributing to the world.
This is where I learned the importance of the inner work I mentioned above. I learned meditation and deepened my yoga and breath work practices, eventually qualifying as a yoga and meditation teacher. I took up some creative pursuits and learning opportunities. I journaled and reconnected with friends and family. I trusted in myself and the wisdom of a few key supporters and allowed my new direction to emerge over time into corporate mental health and then into my work with peer support, yoga and meditation teaching and building the MoveMEN! community.
How have you enriched your own leadership experience?
A key part of this has been learning and practising compassion for myself and others. Life is tough and we are all just doing our best, often in difficult personal circumstances including a lifetime of conditioning and often trauma. When you see the humanity and suffering in others, they will feel that and be more willing to open up to your leadership. This has become a regular part of my meditation practice.
How has your view of leadership changed over time?
Radically! I used to think leadership was all about control; getting people to do what you want; using power and rational arguments to influence others. Now I see leadership as fundamentally requiring us to engage at the emotional and human level; meeting each person where they are, bringing the best out of them; and creating an environment of safety and belonging where people can learn from each other and their mistakes without fear of judgment or punishment.
What advice would you give to emerging leaders?
Slow down, be more mindful, listen more deeply and focus on really understanding where people are coming from. They will more than repay this small investment in connecting with them as people not as employees.
Brian Henderson - Founder of Whole Business Wellness / MoveMEN!
Brian founded Whole Business Wellness in 2020 to help companies build thriving cultures using lived experience sharing, mindfulness, resilience building, experiential learning and 30 years of business leadership experience. Previously, Brian was Chief Operating Officer in Asia at global law firm Baker McKenzie and at Linklaters in a variety of global leadership roles in London and Paris.
Brian is a board member of The Women’s Foundation and was co-founding Chair of the Male Allies initiative. He is a Steering Group member and mentor for the Young Allies program. Brian was recognised as the 2017 American Chamber of Commerce Champion for the Advancement of Women, in 2021 for his advocacy on mental health by InsideOut LeaderBoard, and in 2024 for his community impact as a finalist in the Community Business Creating Social Impact in Asia Award.
He created MoveMEN! as a community for men to support each other through life’s ups and downs using movement, meditation and mindful dialogue. Brian also runs free mental health peer support groups and has served as an advisory board member of the Movement for Global Mental Health and a participant in the Global Mental Health Peer Network.