Why the Wellbeing Revolution Starts with Managers, Not Another NY’s Resolution

Every January, we set New Year’s resolutions—drink more water, meditate more often, sleep better, set firmer boundaries. Yet, by March, most of us have already abandoned these commitments. Over 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail—which is why my January 2025 LinkedIn Live guest, renowned behavioral scientist Dan Ariely, suggested that the best way to succeed at New Year’s resolutions is by not setting them at all!

All of this begs the two-part question: Why are our well-intended efforts failing so miserably—and what can we do differently?

We need to stop focusing on the individual, and start tackling the culture. 

Changing our bad habits into good ones has little to do with willpower—and everything to do with culture. As David Katz, Founder of Yale’s Prevention Research Center, shared in our LinkedIn Live this past October: “The choices we make are subordinate to the choices we have.”

I couldn’t agree more.

The extent to which people are well comes down to culture—which is shaped by leaders, especially managers. 

Why Managers Are at the Epicenter of Real Wellbeing

When it comes to culture, managers matter most. Very simply, the culture that people experience when they are at work is largely the culture that they experience within the team, according to a large study conducted by ADP Research Institute.

Managers are the single biggest driver of how people feel and function at work. They shape:

• The extent to which team members are engaged with their wellbeing
  Longstanding data from Gallup shows that the manager alone accounts for up to 70% of the variance of their team members’ engagement with both their work and their wellbeing.

• The extent to which team members experience burnout
  According to Gallup, burnout isn’t driven by personal weakness or by a lack of resilience. It’s driven by poor working conditions, such as excessive workload, unclear job expectations, lack of support, unfair treatment, and too little autonomy. All of these factors can be shaped, or at a minimum, mitigated by the manager.

• How the workload gets distributed
  Even top performers can shift quickly from optimistic to overwhelmed when workloads are poorly managed and expectations are unrealistic, according to research from Gallup. Distributing work well requires understanding how individuals—and the team as a whole—actually function and thrive.

• How expectations are communicated
  Less than half of U.S. workers report having clear expectations about their roles. Too often, this is misread as a motivation or performance problem. The reality is that these employees are needing direction, clarity, and honest conversation from their manager. 

• How psychological safety is created (or eroded)
  Managers have the power to create a safe harbor where people can think, speak, and contribute without fear or shame. Research from McKinsey shows that it is up to every manager to build psychological safety within the team.

• How hope is modeled (or withheld)
  As Jen Fisher explained in our LinkedIn Live conversation, hope is the strategy for every leader. Leaders can fuel hope by modeling self-care, inviting ideas instead of shutting them down, and choosing hope-building language over fear-based language.

It’s safe to say that the wellbeing and performance of every contributor comes down to their manager - and yet, the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace found that over half of managers reported that they had received NO training from their organizations. 

We can do better.  

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Enter The Multiplier Method

The Multiplier Method is a simple, research-backed framework for manager-led wellbeing rooted in everyday leadership behaviors.

Every manager can become a Wellbeing Multiplier through 3 simple actions:

• DO small, visible actions that signal “your wellbeing matters.”

• SPEAK with honesty, clarity, and hope-building language.

• CREATE the conditions for people to do their best work and be their best selves.

These aren’t grand gestures. They’re human ones. And they’re far more transformative because they happen in the day-to-day.

This approach has been leveraged by organizations like Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, CGI, and Tennessee Valley Authority. In addition, this framework has been cited by leading institutions like the Mayo Clinic as evidence of the outsized role managers play in shaping wellbeing at work.

When managers lead differently, teams work differently. And when teams work differently, organizations change from the inside out.

And that’s exactly why this next step matters.

Introducing The Million Manager Movement: 

The wellbeing industry has been overlooking the very people who shape workplace wellbeing the most. But we’re on a mission to change that.

We’re launching the Million Manager Movement —to equip one million managers with the skills, tools, and confidence they need to lead in a way that truly multiplies wellbeing for themselves and their teams. 

By taking the pledge, you’ll unlock real, practical ways to elevate wellbeing at work. Managers and teams can participate in curated events, actionable tools, and meaningful connections with people-first leaders who are ready to lead differently.

Want to become one in a million? Sign up here and take the pledge to get started.

Be the Change. Lead the Revolution.

What if the biggest wellbeing shift of 2026 isn’t personal — it’s collective?

The way forward isn’t about just doing more self-care, it’s about leaders creating the conditions for people to thrive together.

The future of wellbeing doesn’t start with individuals trying harder. It starts with managers.