Taking the Heat of Leadership

In trying to answer the question, “How does stress impact leadership?” researchers found that eighty-eight percent of leaders report that work is a primary source of stress in their lives and that having a leadership role increases that level of stress(1). In our own work at PPS International Limited, leaders in workshops and during coaching share that managing their own stress levels is a significant goal of their development. In the face of continuous change, reduced resources and increased expectations, being able to handle the understandable ‘heat’ of a leadership position is an important leadership ability. What can leaders do to better handle the ‘heat’ of continuous change and pressures?

1. Set specific goals and have a written plan. Many leaders avoid having a long-term plan because their professional environment requires a great deal of flexibility and is filled with shifting priorities. Why have a plan when everything seems so up-in-the-air? The advantage of a plan is that it provides guidance and calm in the storm of ever-changing demands. Finding even small amounts of discretionary time to work on long-ago arranged goals gives leaders a sense of achievement and progress that may be lacking in their day-to-day work.
2. Place a priority on doing at least one, individualized, stress-reducing activity a day. In our work coaching leaders, we often hear, “Finding time to do the things that I know I should do like exercising or eating well is just about impossible.” Without a doubt, long-term self-care contributes greatly to leadership resiliency. Now, research is beginning to uncover the importance of those smaller, less-intrusive activities that drive down our stress. Taking a five-minute break in silence, reading for pleasure, a phone call to a friend—the key is that these activities are important to you.
3. Find the controllable aspects of the uncontrollable situations. We have more influence in situations than it first appears. For instance, even in those times of stress and amid the chaos of changes we didn’t initiate, we often can determine the way we will carry out a project. And, we can always adjust our attitude in dealing with situations.

Fortunately, as with other aspects of leadership, learning to handle its stress and pressure is a skill that can be developed, and the workplace provides the ideal on-the-job opportunities for practice. Kelly Fairbairn is President of PPS International Limited. PPS International Limited is a global consulting firm specializing in skill-based training and performance improvement of leaders and individual contributors.

(1) The Ideas2Action project of Center for Creative Leadership