By: Anthony President
A Personal Story from Anthony President
There was a time when I thought I was doing everything right as a leader. I had a team at a Fortune 100 company, a fast-paced environment where results were everything. Like many leaders, I believed my job was to push my team to perform at their highest level—no matter what.
I thought I was building a high-performing culture, but in reality, I was creating an environment where survival, not success, became the goal.
I required my employees to deliver results at any cost—to work faster, longer, and harder. There were always deadlines to hit, meetings to prepare for, and problems to solve. I believed pushing people to their limits would get the best out of them.
But it wasn’t until my top employee—someone I thought would never leave—quit that I truly understood what was happening. Mark was a Harvard Business School graduate with unlimited potential, and he had been one of the most promising leaders on my team. When he left, he told me that the culture wasn’t sustainable, and he needed to prioritize his health and well-being.
His words hit me hard. I had been so focused on outcomes that I hadn’t taken the time to think about the cost—to my people and to myself.
That moment forced me to take a step back and ask the question every leader needs to ask: What is my workplace doing to the people who work here? The Hidden Cost of Workplace Culture
Our workplaces might be getting things done, but at what cost? Many organizations unintentionally build environments that hinder well-being, even when they’re striving for success.
According to Gallup, only 24% of U.S. employees believe their leaders care about their well-being. That’s a staggering statistic—and one that speaks to a larger issue.
When employees feel overworked, undervalued, or unsupported, their health suffers. And when their health suffers, so does their performance, engagement, and loyalty.
Here’s the reality: The culture you create isn’t just shaping your employees’ work experience—it’s shaping their health, resilience, and well-being. 1. Toxic Culture = Toxic Costs
Toxic workplace cultures don’t just cause dissatisfaction—they cause real harm. Employees working in toxic environments experience higher levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout.
This kind of stress leads to:
Higher absenteeism (due to both physical and mental health struggles)
Increased turnover (losing your best people to healthier environments)
Lower productivity (because exhausted employees simply can’t give their best)
And the financial impact is staggering. According to SHRM, the cost of toxic workplace cultures exceeds $223 billion in turnover alone.
If your team is operating under chronic stress, your bottom line is already taking a hit.
➡️ Think it’s time to shift your culture? Let’s start with reflection. Join our free workshop: New Year, New You: Forget the Goal, Create Your Wellness Identity.
2. The Next Generation of Talent Cares About Wellness
If your workplace doesn’t prioritize wellness, you risk losing your most promising young talent. Gen Z employees, in particular, rank mental health and work-life balance as top priorities when evaluating employers.
According to a study by McKinsey, nearly 60% of Gen Z workers say their mental health is impacted by their workplace, and they’re quick to leave environments that don’t support their well-being.
This shift in priorities affects more than just your current workforce—it impacts your succession planning. If your organization can’t attract or retain top young talent, you risk long-term gaps in leadership and institutional knowledge.
To appeal to Gen Z talent and secure your future leadership pipeline, you need to:
Create a culture that prioritizes mental wellness and psychological safety.
Model healthy boundaries and work-life balance from leadership down.
Provide resources and training that focus on employee well-being.
Organizations that fail to adapt will find themselves struggling to attract the next generation of leaders.
➡️ Want to build a workplace that attracts top talent? Join us for our free session: New Year, New You.
3. Overwork Is Draining More Than Energy
As a leader, you set the pace for your team. If overwork and hustle culture are the norms, your people will follow suit—at great cost to their health and performance.
Studies show that:
Working more than 55 hours a week increases the risk of heart disease by 17%.
Chronic overwork leads to emotional exhaustion, disengagement, and mental fatigue.
But it’s not just your team that suffers. You’re not immune to these effects. Leaders who push themselves too hard burn out faster and lose the clarity needed to make good decisions.
What kind of workplace are you modeling? One where people feel energized and supported—or one where exhaustion is a badge of honor? A Personal Reflection: What I Learned
After Mark, my top employee, left, I had to take a hard look at myself. I realized that the culture I created was directly contributing to my team’s well-being—or lack thereof.
But it wasn’t just my team that was suffering. I was suffering, too.
I couldn’t figure out where that extra 50 pounds had come from, or why I felt so mentally exhausted. It wasn’t until I started prioritizing my health—both physical and emotional—that I began to feel like myself again.
Now, as an entrepreneur leading Presidential Consultants, I carry that lesson with me every day. I run a business with a demanding schedule and long days, but I find strategic, intentional ways to prioritize my health—and I insist that my team does the same.
Because what I learned is this: A healthy workplace starts with healthy leadership.
➡️ Ready to reflect and reset? Join us for our free workshop: New Year, New You.
Final Thoughts: Your Leadership Shapes Your Workplace
As a leader, you have more influence than you realize. The way you lead shapes your team’s health, performance, and engagement.
The question isn’t whether your workplace is impacting your team—it’s how.
Let’s make 2025 the year we move from toxic cultures to thriving workplaces. Start with reflection. Start with connection. Start with Presidential Consultants.
➡️ Join us for our free workshop on January 22nd to build a better workplace: New Year, New You.
Master Trainer, International Speaker and author of the book “Invincible Social Worker”, Anthony President has empowered and inspired more than 100,000 professionals to perform, produce and partner better at their places of work. Thousands of companies and organizations have been transformed as a result of Anthony’s work.
As Founder and CEO of Presidential Consultants, LLC, Anthony leads a team of more than two dozen experienced learning development and coaching professionals who together serve more than 16,000 helping professionals each year in the areas of leadership, inclusion, and workplace wellness. As a thought leader in the field, Anthony continues to research, innovate, and drive positive change in the realm of professional development and organizational transformation.
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