Healthy Leaders Lead Better

While working on my doctorate in executive leadership, it became clear that, for decades, leadership research has focused on the ripple effects leaders have on others, how vision, charisma, or decisiveness shape team performance. My colleagues and I were seeing it differently, though. And a new wave of studies suggests we were right, the spotlight may be shining in the wrong direction. These studies support the core of the truth in my Dangerous Leader approach to living and leadership: a leader’s own health and well-being aren’t just personal matters; they are central drivers of how leaders show up, behave, and ultimately succeed.

Health as the Hidden Engine

A recent study in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies drives the point home. Tracking over 1,200 leaders across four time points, researchers found that those in better physical and mental health consistently displayed more transformational and reward-based leadership. These are leadership styles linked to inspiration and accountability.

The flip side? Leaders struggling with health symptoms often slipped into laissez-faire leadership, which had them stepping back when their teams needed them most. Worse, this withdrawal looped back: the more they disengaged, the more their health suffered.

Here is what is most striking about that — it isn’t what the pattern is, it is what it isn’t. Leader identity, how strongly someone sees themselves as a leader, wasn’t the missing link. It is often the focus, but it isn’t the link. Instead, health itself had a direct, powerful effect on behavior.

Leading as a Source of Energy

Nothing is ever that simple, though. Other recent research shows the relationship between health and leadership runs both ways. In one multi-wave study, leaders who practiced more transformational leadership than usual didn’t just energize their teams — they energized themselves. They reported greater vigor, deeper meaning in their work, and lower emotional exhaustion.

Who knew, right? The act of inspiring others can also be restorative. Leadership, when done well, is not just a demand on resources — it can be a source of energy. Dangerous Leaders know this is their superpower.

The Resource Dance

Let’s look at what much of this is rooted in, the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, which argues that people strive to build and protect the resources, like health, energy, and social support, that fuel performance. When a Dangerous Leader feels an abundance of resources, they can invest in transformational or engaging behaviors. But when resources dwindle — through stress, illness, or overload, we may retreat into passive or even defensive behaviors. This is where a Dangerous Leader’s cultivated curiosity is beneficial, and their relationships with others matter. Our curiosity leads us to coaching, peer networks, and developmental feedback, which serve as critical buffers, helping us break free from downward spirals and maintain constructive leadership even under pressure.

What we are talking about is building organizations and leaders in organizations who support resiliency in and for their leaders.

Toward Sustainable Leadership

The lesson for Dangerous Leaders is both simple and profound: healthy leaders lead better. Your well-being fuels effective behaviors, and those behaviors, when thoughtfully enacted, can feed back into sustaining well-being. Organizations that recognize this reciprocal dance — where health and leadership continually shape one another — will be better equipped to cultivate leaders who are not just effective in the moment, but sustainable for the long haul.

In the end, investing in leader health isn’t just compassionate. Dangerous Leaders know it is a strategic choice that strengthens teams, organizations, and the leaders themselves.

Dr. Jennifer Smith is a Cedar Rapids-based professional coach and speaker, specializing in transforming trauma into growth in life and leadership. Comments: jennifer@dangerousleader.com; @dr.jennsmith on Instagram