‘Inaction is the death knell of leadership’ – Matty McEvoy, CEO of mental health platform Together All

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In this episode of the Good Leaders Clinic, Tim West and Liam Black speak to Matty McEvoy, CEO of Together All, a digital peer-to-peer mental health support platform, moderated by clinicians. Together All enables people who are struggling with their mental health to connect with others with  similar experiences, in a safe environment and anonymously.

McEvoy joined the mission-driven company in 2019 after more than a decade in the corporate world, to become the company’s “employee number one” in North America, where he led the business’s expansion in the US and Canada. He became CEO four years later, in what he describes as a “big gulp” moment, but he admits that “taking on a CEO job in my career was never really something that was top of mind for me”. 

McEvoy recalls the pressures of the Covid-19 period, which put a spotlight on mental health and gave the company unprecedented momentum. The need for mental health services has increased ever since, but what could be seen as a great business opportunity creates challenges for the organisation to stay true to its purpose as it attracts investment and grows. Together All has a charter and a “guardian council” of independent experts to ensure the business remains focused on its mission.

Take action. Don't wait for a hard decision

McEvoy talks to the hosts about the blurring of personal life and work and how the business is constantly on his mind – and his secret to get out of it for a few precious hours each week: coaching his kids’ ice hockey teams. But he warns this doesn’t happen without effort: “You’ve got to be very intentional about it. But it delivers… so much value to me as a stress reliever, as a way to spend time with my wife and my kids.” It is a “fulfilling thing” that helps him “running fast on the CEO treadmill”, he says.

His leadership advice? “Take action. Don’t wait for a hard decision… I’ve witnessed this in my own experience and other leaders that I've worked with – that inaction might be the death knell of leadership.”

McEvoy talks about:

• Becoming CEO for the first time and the importance of having a top-notch executive team
• How the rise in mental health support needs created both opportunities and challenges for Together All
• Enshrining purpose in the business
• How family time is making him a better CEO