Ask yourself “Has my company faced eight, ten, twelve percent or more annual health care cost increases over the last decade?” Shouldn’t U.S. companies use these monies for employee pay increases, to invest in new products or services, new equipment, to reduce their debt, or to increase retained earnings or shareholder distributions? The leading thinking is that well-designed and administered wellness programs and a strong culture of wellness can bend our nation’s health care cost curve and create more productive employees living richer lives. While our outdated and inefficient health care system does need “disruptive innovation,” wellness has the potential to also significantly drive down our national health care spend and deliver better outcomes. I highly recommend reading Professor Clayton Christensen’s book “Innovator’s Prescription”.

Besides draining cash from our national economy and America’s employers and employees, poor mental and physical health affects our performance. I look at it this way. As the coach, general manager or team owner, you want your players in their best mental and physical shape. In fact, as a nation, don’t we want our nation’s human capital in the best mental and physical shape to best compete in the global arena? If your people are trying to work despite health issues (the HR term for this is ‘presenteeism’), they lose their ability to focus, engage and perform while at work. Your employees are athletes. They need to be in great mental and physical health to play a great, engaging game at work. They need to be in great mental and physical health to live a great, engaging life.

In the United States, health care is principally delivered to people through employers. This economic cost to employers is a good reason for employers to actively support physical and mental health—to reduce their share of the cost of health care. However, in my opinion, another, more important reason, is that your goal as a leader is for everyone to achieve their human potential—to get the best out of each and every person. People cannot achieve their potential if they have poor or even fair mental and physical health. You need to tactically and strategically encourage people to improve their health. Your human capital is your most important asset. Our human capital is our nation’s greatest human capital. This approach towards human capital is just another way to genuinely engage employees, to create an environment where they can excel, and for your company to break away from your competitors—and for our nation to break away from our global competitors.

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