The Artist, The Healer, and The Harmonizer
Leadership today is more than managing tasks — it’s about healing, inspiring, and balancing hearts and minds.
When a leader needs to become the healer, they must act as both a doctor and an artist — someone who can pick up the brush and paint the emotions of their team on the canvas, as dreamt by the team but guided by the leader’s vision.
In the chaotic world of the workplace, with constant exposure and pressure, a great team leader knows when to step in as a doctor to heal the team from syndromes that may harm performance and well-being.
I call this the Scale of Balance. Leadership is not only about technical expertise in the area you lead, but also about emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and — most importantly — compassionate behavior that fosters empathy. This scale ensures that the essential functions of the business are balanced with the well-being of the people who execute them.
A leader should be an early analyzer, a checker who monitors the team to ensure that none of the best members are caught in Impostor Syndrome. The leader must explain clearly what the best performer did, and guide others on what they can learn and improve. This balance ensures that the deserving are not undermined by jealousy, while others recognize their gaps and rise to the challenge.
Similarly, leaders must watch for Burnout or Boreout Syndrome. Both are dangerous. Work should be adventurous, not monotonous or unsupported. A leader who keeps the team active, motivated, and engaged maintains the scale of balance — ensuring energy without vilification, and zeal without temper.
Another risk is Presenteeism Syndrome, where someone is physically present but mentally disengaged. A leader must detect this early, speak with the member, and help them overcome difficulties so they can be productive again.
Leaders also need to be alert to Problem Amplification (Münchausen-like behaviors) in the workplace — exaggerating problems for attention. While empathy is essential, decisions must be made in the interest of the team and the business. Leaders must set boundaries and monitor processes so that exaggeration does not affect others.
In today’s age of AI, Technostress and Zoom Fatigue are widespread. This is where leaders step in to motivate their teams, encourage breaks, organize informal gatherings, and reduce unnecessary screen time. By asking the team to attend only essential calls, leaders balance stress and productivity.
Finally, a great leader balances the scale for themselves too. They must ensure that no Toxic Loyalty/Unhealthy Alignment (Stockholm-like dynamics) emerge, where blind allegiance to toxic influences spoils the team’s spirit.
🔧 Practical Strategies
Instead of only naming syndromes, leaders should act with concrete steps:
Rotate tasks or projects to prevent boreout.
Use anonymous feedback channels to detect impostor syndrome early.
Encourage regular breaks and “focus hours” to reduce technostress.
Create peer-learning sessions so team members can share skills and reduce gaps.
Schedule one-on-one "state-of-mind" check-ins to gauge mental health and detect presenteeism early.
The Forecast: The AI Syndrome
With hybrid work and AI integration, new syndromes are emerging:
Notification fatigue → constant pings draining focus.
Algorithmic anxiety → fear of being judged or replaced by AI systems.
While AI should remain a core focus, it is vital that leaders build confidence in their teams that human values remain irreplaceable. Critical thinking, decision-making, and empathy are blessings unique to mortals — no AI can replicate them.
Here, the leader becomes an artist once again:
Each stroke of the brush is empathy.
Each color is motivation.
The canvas is the team’s shared vision.
Leadership is not about managing tasks, but about balancing hearts and minds — and guiding teams to embrace AI without losing their humanity.
Rachana Bahel
