Social
Collaboration, relationships, recognition and belonging.
Whole Health Leadership®
Embed health in leadership, collaboration and everyday work.
Good leadership also begins with leading one’s own health. Whole Health Leadership® is a leadership and organisational approach developed in the United States that connects personal health choices, leadership, collaboration and everyday work across six dimensions.
The approach
Six dimensions create a shared frame of reference.
Whole Health Leadership defines Whole Health as the state of our social, intellectual, emotional, physical, environmental and spiritual well-being. It combines personal reflection with shared learning, leadership involvement and practical application.
Six connected dimensions
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02
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View health and work through six connected perspectives.
Intellectual
Achievement and growth, including learning, autonomy, creativity and progress.
Emotional
Feelings and their management, including stress, motivation, confidence and joy.
Physical
Body and care, including energy, movement, nutrition, recovery and medical care.
Environmental
Conditions and access, including working conditions, safety, surroundings and access to nature.
Spiritual
Meaning, values, presence and connection.
Prevention begins before treatment
The strongest influence on health often lies where everyday life is shaped.
Health expenditure shows how small the share for prevention currently is. At the same time, the population-health model illustrates why health needs to be viewed far beyond clinical care.
Prevention currently receives only a small share.
Germany spent a total of €538.2 billion on health in 2024. Prevention and health protection accounted for €21.8 billion — around 4%.
538.2€bn health expenditure
Share for prevention and health protection
≈ 4%€21.8 billion1.4%€7.6 billion health promotion
For organisations, the question is whether prevention reaches everyday work.
Source: Destatis, health expenditure by function 2024Health is shaped far beyond clinical care.
In this population-health model, 80% of the weighting lies beyond clinical care — in behaviour, social and economic factors and the physical environment.
20304010
20%Clinical care
30%Health behaviours
40%Social and economic factors
10%Physical environment
Six steps from awareness to conscious action.
The six official steps move from present-moment awareness through a broader understanding of health to a conscious choice.
Become aware of how you currently experience your health.
Broaden your view of health across six connected dimensions.
Identify strengths and challenges within each dimension.
Explore the internal and external influences shaping your experience.
Understand how these influences, needs and consequences are connected.
Make a conscious decision and draw on a strength to support it.
All Choices Are Health Choices
From insight to working reality
Leadership, team reflection and transfer work together.
Whole Health Leadership is not designed as an isolated health day. It connects personal reflection with shared learning, leadership involvement and practical application.
Direction and role modelling
Leaders create space for appropriate conversations about health and connect reflection with everyday priorities and decisions.
A shared language
Teams view resources, demands and collaboration from a broader perspective.
Practical routines
Insights become agreements and small, reviewable changes in everyday practice.
WHL entry and pilot formats for German organisations
Pilot Whole Health Leadership in Germany.
For the German market, Whole Health Leadership is currently offered through the following entry and pilot formats. These formats are based on the WHL framework and adapted to the respective organisational context.
WHL Compass
A focused introduction to the six dimensions and the first areas for action.
Best suited to: initial orientation and a shared understanding. Outcome: prioritised starting points for the next step.WHL Sprint
Facilitated work on a prioritised health, leadership or collaboration topic across several sessions.
Best suited to: one concrete topic with a clear transfer need. Outcome: agreed actions and reviewable next steps.WHL Pilot Programme
A multi-month learning, reflection and transfer programme for a clearly defined target group.
Best suited to: defined target groups and sustained implementation. Outcome: a shared frame of reference and tested routines.
Case Study · Adobe Global Reward
Case study · 2 pages
Healthy work needs implementation.
A multi-phase Whole Health Leadership programme combined active leadership involvement, structured reflection and small reflection groups. The case study shows how self-care, resilience, healthy routines and cross-functional collaboration were strengthened in everyday work.
- 2020–2022
- multi-phase implementation
- approx. 35–50
- participants over time
- 5
- reflection groups
Open PDF
Results source: participant surveys across several programme phases; details and further voices are included in the German case study.
Experience Whole Health Leadership
Which entry point fits your organisation?
In an introductory call, we identify which format fits your audience, context and desired depth of implementation. The brief reflection can be used for personal preparation if helpful.