Stressed out leaders

All leaders have at least one thing in common: stress.



Brutal schedules, increasing demands, and unrelenting competition all contribute to a stressed out crop of leaders.



In fact, leadership author Henry L. Thompson argues that stress is often the real culprit behind leadership failure. In his book, The Stress Effect, he stated when leaders’ stress levels become elevated – whether in the boardroom or on the front line of the manufacturing process – their ability to make smart decisions is severely impaired.



So, apparently stress is a very real feeling that could become toxic to your career.


When someone is stressed they don’t treat themselves or others very well, they have a quick temper at work or home and become impatient at the smallest details.
And if a leader is stressed out, guess what? It can infect the entire company. No matter how hard a leader tries to hide his or her own emotions, employees will pick up on their boss’ behavior. Leaders do set an example for the workplace, so your attitude and stress levels are actually contagious to your employees. Yep, that’s just another thing to stress out about.

Maybe leaders are so used to being stressed out that they believe it’s a normal condition. To be fair, there are those that say some level of stress is actually a good thing, and it does serve a purpose. But an overabundance of stress is a different story.

Overstressed leaders will get overwhelmed in crisis situations and fail to identify the core issues of the problem. Emotional or unmeasured reactions may actually provoke additional problems, along with sending the message to direct reports that conflicts should be avoided or denied.

An inability to cope with stress will not only cause personal unhappiness, it can also make you ineffective as a leader. While it’s pretty difficult to completely eliminate stress from your life, you can take action to minimize stress. Many times, stress is not only self-induced but is unnecessary.


Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Instead of getting frustrated when things don’t go as planned, expect change, ambiguity, and frustration at least part of the time. This is normal. Develop your sense of humor; learn not to take yourself too seriously.




• Acknowledge that you are not really in control, as much as you would like to be, and you do not need to be in control of all situations. Consider a past change that you effectively managed and identify steps you took in that situation that you can try here. Realize that maintaining control in an environment of rapid change is different from maintaining control in a static situation.




• Try these stress reducing techniques: learn and apply deep breathing when you are stressed; take a break to listen to relaxing music on your iPod or on Spotify; go for a walk outside; exercise regularly; eat regular meals.




• You need to be able to persevere during the hard times if you are convinced you are on the right course. Before you make a big change: consult with other managers about the decision and analyze what impact the change will have on the organization (both positive and negative).




• Think positively. Instead of telling yourself a task is impossible, tell yourself that you have reached a momentary impasse and that a solution does exist and will eventually come to you.

What tips do you have to help reduce stress?

Leaders, a public meltdown is not “winning”

As a society, it appears we are fascinated by public meltdowns of celebrities. This is probably why Charlie Sheen’s twitter account set a new Guinness World record for the fastest person to reach 1 million followers. I’m sure many of these followers hoped to read or see a meltdown firsthand.


So, Tiger Blood and the rest of Charlie Sheen’s philosophies entertained a majority of the public. However, it would not be so entertaining if someone you actually know has a meltdown. Or, even worse what if you have a meltdown?

As a business leader or manager you probably think that would never happen. But all business is people’s business, and no one is perfect. And meltdowns are not a laughing matter (sorry, Charlie).

A meltdown may take the form of being irritable, snapping at others, crying, and engaging in all kinds of unhealthy and self-destructive behaviors.

One major cause of a meltdown is stress. According to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, 75% percent of people say they are stressed out. That’s a lot of potential meltdowns.

Leaders certainly encounter obstacles and are faced with very difficult situations. An inability to cope with stress will not only cause personal unhappiness, it can also make you ineffective as a leader. Emotional or unmeasured reactions may actually complicate difficult situations and could result in a meltdown.

You may not be able to change the amount of stress in your life, but there are ways to calm down and reduce the stress.

·        Acknowledge that you are not really in control of much that happens, as much as you would like to be, and you do not need to be in control of all situations. Consider a past change that you effectively managed and identify steps you took in that situation that you can try here. Realize that maintaining control in an environment of rapid change is different from maintaining control in a static situation.

·        Try these stress reducing techniques: learn and apply deep breathing when you are stressed; take a break to listen to a relaxation CD; go for a walk outside; exercise regularly; eat regular meals.

·        Anticipate a positive outcome to stressful situations. Your mindset can make a tremendous difference in the outcome.

·        Determine whether your work habits contribute to your stress. Do you procrastinate? Do you neglect to communicate your intentions? Do you micromanage others?

·        Maintain and cultivate your sense of humor. A well-developed sense of humor will help you and those around you deal more effectively.

How do you reduce stress?

Are you a worrywart at the workplace?

"Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” is the familiar song penned by musician Bobby McFerrin. It is a positive song with such a basic message that we should all just adopt this philosophy in our day-to-day life. However, when one establishes a habit of worrying it can be hard to shake.

While stress is a factor in everyone’s life, many of the most stressful events are related to the workplace. In fact, workplace stress costs U.S. employers an estimated $200 million per year, according to Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Business leaders, in particular, carry a great deal of stress that can become toxic. A worrier executive worries not only about his or her mistakes but of others as well. Executives worry that their worrying can impact their employees and make their employees worry, which impacts their focus and productivity, and in turn can make everyone worry about their job.

Whew! Exhausting, isn’t it?

An article in Fast Company recently discussed the topic of business leaders and worrying in the workplace. Simma Lieberman, an executive coach and self-proclaimed former worrier, shared a bit of her advice to help reduce worrying.

1. Time spent worrying is time you can use to seek solutions for some of the issues you have been worrying about. (In other words, stop worrying and do something about it!).

2. Worrying over people, places, and things, you can’t control is a waste of time and doesn’t allow you to take action where you do have control.

3. Learn how to use relaxation techniques to stay calm in stressful situations. For example: make time for leisure activities, get enough sleep, exercise.

And although this may not work for everyone – if you indulge in some tasty treats every so often it may help melt worries away.

Sources: Fast Company, Fairleigh Dickinson University

Tell us, what are your techniques to reduce worrying?