Chiu, C.Howard, M.Lopes, E.Kulik, C.T.Tuckey, M.R.2023-11-152023-11-152024Human Resource Management, 2024; 63(2):243-2630090-48481099-050Xhttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/139897First published: 25 October 2023Organizational leaders are essential in implementing, interpreting, and even proactively initiating changes for human resource (HR) functions to enhance workplace productivity and well-being. However, recent studies have cautioned that providing positive and supportive leadership usually drains these organizational leaders. Although the literature has shed light on how leaders can use self-care strategies to recharge, researchers and HR professionals know relatively little about (1) what specific self-care actions leaders can take and (2) how external crises such as COVID-19 constrain leaders' selfcare actions. To identify specific leaders' self-care behaviors, which we refer to as oxygen masks, we interviewed 41 healthcare managers in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We presented a behavioral typology summarizing distinct oxygen masks that leaders used at different points in time. These oxygen masks include improving physical well-being, improving emotional/spiritual/social well-being, fulfilling managerial roles, and seeking collegial and organizational support. Moreover, we concluded that the COVID-19 restrictions made some of these oxygen masks less accessible, negatively impacting leaders' well-being. Our research conclusions have implications for theory and future studies on extending the literature associated with leadership development, leaders' resilience, and leaders' well-being. The results also provide HR professionals with practical suggestions about assisting line managers in improving their self-care and sustaining their leadership effectiveness.en© 2023 The Authors. Human Resource Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.COVID-19; HR-leadership synergy; leader effectiveness; leader resilience; leader well-being; leaders' self-care; qualitative researchJournal article10.1002/hrm.221992023-10-31660093Chiu, C. [0000-0002-3086-8324]