We live in turbulent times - times that challenge the business leader and call upon new and softer skills. Global, local and organizational factors all contribute to a workplace where stress is overtly present, or worse, flies just under the radar. As an inspired leader - one with relational intelligence - you will bring recognition, resources and resilience to your team.
To many, our world - including our business world - appears to be de-stabilized in an unprecedented manner. They note:
*The threat of terrorist attacks, environmental disasters, and school shootings have all become more real and more immediate, eroding the safety that we once took for granted. *Constant change within our organizations, including layoffs, mergers and other reorganizations can result in a corporate culture marked by frustration and defeat. *The accumulated effects of long hours, lack of support, and the perpetual weight of too much to do with too few resources, zaps individual and collective resilience.
Fully one-third of short-term disability is now for mental, rather than physical health reasons. Millions of workdays and billions of dollars are lost. This is the new normal. On the one hand, people grapple with feelings of despair and meaninglessness; and on the other end of the continuum, anxiety rises - sometimes as a response to a specific trigger, but often as a diffuse state of distress with no particular antecedent.
If this sounds more than a little grim, remember that while people - and relationships - can be the victim of stress, they are also the solution. Indeed, isolation tends to perpetuate problems through diminished communication. Contrary to old notions of autonomy as the ultimate goal of mature development, we now know that a healthy inter-dependence is the mark of high functioning maturity. This wisdom has entered the workplace through an increasing orientation to:
*teamwork and consensus building; *the use of coaches and mentors; *emotional intelligence; and *leadership skills that include empathy and collaboration.
But under stress, we can forget what we know. So while it is true that increased conflict and inter-personal tension are often the first casualties of stress, a common error in response is the assumption that tending to relationship is a luxury for when time and patience permits: first the task, then we'll pause to assess the process. With fires to put out and a head to keep above water, thinking about communication and relationship can feel like one more burden. The assumption goes on to state: I can't afford to be thoughtful in relationship. More accurate, of course, is that you can't afford not to be.
The first step is to pay attention to the radar screen. If your environment is stressed, you will recognize:
*greater resistance to change; *less patience and more anger; *more inter-personal conflict and disruptions; *less bounce back when things go wrong.
These are the 'blips' - the lights that say stress is in your airspace and the reminders to stay alert. As a skilled leader, you will model relationship as a resource in times both good and bad: staying attuned, engaged and responsive. And with the intent to be leaderful on behalf of others, will come a remarkable boost to your own resilience. A few best practices:
Recognize and name the stress. More harm has been done by putting on a happy (and false) face, or by otherwise allowing stress free rein to work out of consciousness. State the obvious: acknowledge that an event or circumstance has impact. This alone will bring a measure of relief.
Pick your fights. Learn to distinguish the real issues from the fall-out issues and leave the latter alone. Stress produces lots of red herrings. If someone is uncharacteristically combative, look to the source and cut them some slack. Confronting behaviour isn't always efficacious.
Apply logic to matters of the head and empathy to matters of the heart. Both are excellent tools when applied appropriately and both can wreak havoc when misapplied.
Use a coach, a mentor, or a trusted and unbiased partner in sorting through your own reactivity as well as others'. If you are going to bracket your own feelings of anger, impatience or judgement, you will need help.
Foster connections: they are true lifesavers. Ensure that everyone has the inter-personal connections they need to thrive. As leader, know your own boundaries, limitations and needs.
The paradox is this: if the impact of stressful, dramatic, even traumatic, events is to be reduced in the workplace, we must first acknowledge that very impact. The act of recognition is an act of resilience. And a resourceful leader is one who in turn is a resource. Now more than ever, our environments demand relational intelligence in order to survive, and in doing so, point the way to thriving. We can't always get vectored around the turbulence, but we can minimize it by setting a steady course together.
Here are immediately useful tips for leaders and all employees. First are tips to help leaders avoid hiring people who will waste time and energy feeling stressed-out and burnt to a crisp. Second are tips to help every working person confidently handle stress in a poised manner.
TIPS FOR LEADERS TO AVOID HIRING HIGH-STRESS, WACKED-OUT JOB APPLICANTS
1. Look for specific pre-employment test scores.
A superb pre-employment test predicts (a) reaction to pressure or stress and (b) optimism. A job applicant who smoothly handles whatever is thrown at him or her will receive high test scores on two pre-employment test scales:
a. Objective Reaction to Pressure - that is, the person will act poised under pressure In contrast, a high-stress applicant will score low, indicating a subjective reaction to pressure and stress. (That is a nice way to say the low-scoring applicant loves to whine, moan, and complain.)
b. Optimism - that means the person is upbeat, confident, and focuses on solutions. In contrast, a person whose Optimism test score is low is pessimistic. A pessimist searches for a reason to feel Chicken Little was right that "the sky is falling."
2. Watch how the applicant reacts to taking the pre-employment test.
In the third book I wrote, "Hire the Best -- & Avoid the Rest," I point out that whatever behavior you see from an applicant in the screening process is the best behavior you will see from that person. So, if the applicant whines or freaks out about taking a pre-employment test, then that is a bad sign. Watch out: The person is telling you stress is the name of their game.
3. Ask pointed questions in job interviews.
Force the applicant to tell you specific details of their work accomplishments and failures. Do not let them get away with platitudes about "doing good work." Also, tell the applicant you might verify everything they tell you. Observe their reactions to these pressure interviewing methods. If they act jittery, that indicates they may be high stress if you hire them. Does any manager want to deal with that?
TIPS FOR EVERYONE TO REDUCE STRESS AT WORK
1. Get along with people. Low-stress employees usually create smooth working relationships with practically everyone. To do this, find things you have in common and act friendly with absolutely everybody - from the president down to the janitors.
2. Always be diplomatic and tactful. Never act impatient nor angry - regardless of how you feel Expressing anger in your workplace results in direct or subtle retaliation, which surely increases stress.
3. Learn what is expected of you. Find out exactly what is expected from you by the two most important people: Your (a) boss and (b) boss's boss. These two people will make or break your career, and greatly affect your stress level. When you meet their expectations you simultaneously can get ahead plus decrease a possible cause of stress.
4. Be a team player with your boss and co-workers. Team players express gratitude to others, and receive less grief than employees who seem rebellious or act like loners.
5. Give 3 compliments each day at work. People love receiving compliments, and they will make your life easier. Reason: You made them feel good with a compliment. They will remember your compliment when you ask for a favor.
6. Set goals for yourself - both personal and work-related. High-stress people rarely take actions to accomplish their goals. Low-stress people, on the other hand, spend more than half their time doing actions that help them achieve their short-term or long-term goals.
Here is a revealing to discover how much time you really devote to achieving your goals. First, write down everything you did in the last seven days. Second, on a separate piece of paper, list your (a) three short-term goals - to achieve in the next three months and (b) three long-term goals - to achieve in three years. Third, look at your seven-day activity list, and note any actions you did that helped you accomplish short-term or long-term goals.
Typically, people spend less than five percent of their time doing activities that will achieve their goals. And people feel more frustrated - and stressed - when they do not accomplish their short-term and long-term goals.
7. Write a daily "to-do" list. Each day before leaving work, write a list of what you need to do the next work day. That quick organizing helps prevent you feeling overwhelmed by tasks you need to do.
8. Keep a neat desk or work space. You do not need obsessive-compulsive neatness. For example, my desk is covered with a lot of papers. But, I keep a 2-foot X 2-foot space to use only for work I am doing at that moment.
9. Exercise at least a little every day. Any movement or exercise helps. Even a 10-minute walk helps. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park at the far end of the parking lot. People bottle-up emotional tension in their muscles. By exercising a little, you release emotional and physical stress. Then, you will feel more clear-headed when you encounter a stressful situation.
10. De-employ yourself - consider changing jobs. If the above nine tips do not help you, then you might want to find a new job. Remember the wise saying: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
Both Pat Archer & Michael Mercer, Ph.d. are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Pat Archer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stress Management, Leadership. Pat Archer is a leadership coach specializing in interpersonal dynamics in the workplace. Where good business and good relationship meet, her clients resolve conflict, illuminate ethical dilemmas and activate their greatest leadership skills. Visit her we. Pat Archer's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
Michael Mercer, Ph.d. has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stress Management. Michael Mercer, Ph.D., is a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences and seminar leader at companies. He wrote 5 books, including "Hire the Best -- & Avoid the Rest(tm)" and "Absolutely Fabulous Organizational Change(tm)." Dr. Mercer created 3. Michael Mercer, Ph.d.'s top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.