Stressed Out?
Photo by Yulia Polyakova
Stressed out? Do most people around you and your team at work appear to be stressed as well?
You’re not alone. A recent Department of Labor study found 83% of U.S. employees reported work-related stress and 54% of workers said that stress affects their life at home.
But your leadership can help reduce stress for both you and your team and I would like to offer the following suggestions (in brief outline form – too much dense verbiage could further stress you out!!
Communication: (in fact, the first step in nearly all management practices)
Ask yourself and your team to help you identify the key stressors in your group. These may be both macro issues affecting the entire economy, political climate or company, as well as individual challenges facing specific team members.
Keep that door open – encourage ongoing open discussion about workload, team dynamics and challenges, not only one-on-one, but as a group. This is not a suggestion to hold venting sessions, but to have the team offer possible solutions to challenges.
Realistic expectations:
Make sure the objectives and timelines you set are doable and clearly communicated.
Don’t micromanage! Micromanagement communicates a lack of trust, which can be a major source of anxiety.
Modeling:
Work-life balance: make sure YOU take breaks and vacations, avoid sending late-night emails and talk about some of your life outside of work.
Share any stress management practices that work for you, like exercise, music, etc.
Support:
Collaboration needs to be part of your communicated expectations and that it becomes standard procedure.
Ensure everyone is aware of any available resources such as wellness programs.
Set realistic expectations about your leadership practices too. What you’re aiming for is not world peace, but a stable environment, allowing for higher team morale, efficient and timely work and effective decision making!
"A good leader gets people to follow him because they want to, not because he makes them."
Brian Dodd on Leadership
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Fundamental of the Week #21: LEAD BY EXAMPLE
The best way to influence others is to be the change you want to see. Bring a calming presence. Your authentic expression helps others shine.
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