The NEW Wellbeing Dimension is Here.

What does it take to be well? In one Gallup study, scientists surveyed people in over 150 countries, posing hundreds of questions about health, wealth, relationships, jobs, and communities. Through their research, they uncovered six key dimensions of wellbeing: physical, emotional, social, financial, career, and community wellbeing. 
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I now see a new one emerging: “stability wellbeing” – something that up until now, many of us (myself included) have taken for granted.

Over the past 80 years, we have been living in a bubble of geopolitical stability, undergirded by an open, rule-bound international order that has been nurtured, defended, and championed by every single US administration. Now, in just two short months, this appears to be coming to an end. As my Stanford classmate and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace describes, it is “The Death of the World America Made.”

​The fraying of international norms and dismantling of longstanding allies, along with the rising threat of a tariff war, has created an unprecedented level of uncertainty. It is no wonder that Gallup’s most recent Global Leadership Report found that what people are wanting most from their leaders today is stability (along with hope, trust, and compassion). 

What is Stability Wellbeing?

Stability wellbeing (a phrase that I’m coining) is the need for a sense of order. It is the peace of mind that comes from living and operating within a rational system.

In a world that feels upside down, people want to feel right side up.
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The question now becomes: What can every leader and manager nurture stability wellbeing across the organization and within every team? 

Here are 3 ways to help you get started:

1. Talk about the real stuff.

Discuss what’s happening in someone’s world in a real human way. Move past the robotic “How are you?” and go deeper: “No, really, how are you?” How often are you acknowledging and lending an ear when someone is going through a rough patch?

We can talk about outside influences using general terms like VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), or we can be more pointed with statements like, “I remember your mom was in the hospital; let me know if there’s a way I can support you during this time.” Being specific and expressing how you can help gives people permission to be vulnerable and honest about what they need. Not only does that promote a sense of psychological safety, it also opens up a communication dynamic that the rest of the team can follow. 

Pro-tip: Check in with all your employees, not just the ones you are already buddy-buddy with. They will all take notice and appreciate the equal effort! 

2. Build trust and accountability within your spheres of influence.

The more people can feel stability within the smaller ecosystems in which they operate, the more they can withstand the instability in our broader world. Stability thrives on one thing: a sense of control. Harvard and MIT run a joint initiative called The Work and Well-Being Initiative. And the NUMBER ONE principle in their highly-researched employer toolkit is about giving employees more control over their work. 

Give people a sense of control with clear expectations, reliable routines, and follow-through. This involves things like keeping up with regular check-ins, giving team members the space and time to do their jobs, and being a reliable presence of support that follows up on requests.
 
Some questions to ask yourself as a leader: 

• When a team member asks for additional tools and materials, do you actively help them get what they need?
• Do you cancel meetings with them at the last minute? And if you have to cancel, do you reschedule them promptly?
• Do you respond to their emails within 48 hours? 
• When it comes to leadership style, would people describe you as a coach or a micromanager?

 
3. Become an agent of stability.​

When chaos hits, your people don’t need more uncertainty—they need steady leadership. In the last few years, countless companies have had layoffs, shakeups, and restructures. In those times, what employees need the most is someone who can bring consistency and positivity in the face of these changes (managers are key!). If you lead with uncertainty and fold in the face of adversity, how do you think your teams would respond? They would LIKELY start job hunting immediately. 

And of those who voluntarily leave, Gallup found that 42% of employees report that their manager could have done something to prevent them from leaving. After digging deeper, the findings showed that managers needed to initiate the right conversations with employees rather than wait for them to express their discontentment. Being proactive about what people need and finding solutions to the obstacles they’re facing goes a long way. 

You can be that stable force for your teams.

At the end of the day, stability wellbeing isn’t just a luxury—it impacts all the other wellbeing dimensions. When everything else feels unpredictable, people don’t just want leaders who inspire change; they need leaders who provide solid ground to stand on. Your consistency, presence, and willingness to listen could be the difference between a team that thrives and a team that fractures.

So, here’s your challenge: How will you show up as an agent of stability this week? Will you check in with a team member who’s struggling? 

The best leaders aren’t just change-makers—they’re stability-givers with the power to multiply wellbeing. And that’s exactly what the world needs right now.

Join the over 40,000 learners in my LinkedIn Learning course, Managers as Multipliers of Wellbeing, and start multiplying wellbeing for your team! Take the course here.

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Laura Putnam

Laura Putnam is a leading catalyst for wellbeing at work, an international public speaker, and author of Workplace Wellness That Works. As CEO of Motion Infusion and creator of the leadership training program Managers on the Move, she infuses wellbeing into the workplace to help employees, teams and organizations thrive. You can follow her on X @MotionInfusion.