5 Ways of Managing Stress as a Leader
Leadership

5 Ways of Managing Stress as a Leader

As a leader, your people will look to you for guidance in times of challenge and uncertainty.   Trying to manage your team as well as yourself during these times can make you vulnerable to high stress that can become chronic if not dealt with properly.   Currently, 69% of executives are considering quitting due […]

November 5th, 2023
*

Abby.

Founder

A search expert making key hires for over twenty years.

As a leader, your people will look to you for guidance in times of challenge and uncertainty.

 

Trying to manage your team as well as yourself during these times can make you vulnerable to high stress that can become chronic if not dealt with properly.

 

Currently, 69% of executives are considering quitting due to their wellbeing, and as many as 1 in 3 senior leaders are reported to be exhausted.

 

Learning how to manage stress as a leader is key to your success both professionally and personally.

 

Here are five ways of managing your stress as a leader in 2023.

 

 

Let Go of the Guilt ❌

 

Your employees are human, and so are you.

 

Seeing stress as a weakness or something that needs to be hidden is unhelpful and will not enable you to manage it well.

 

For British entrepreneur Richard Branson, effective stress management starts with not feeling guilty about experiencing it in the first place: “Ditch any guilt you might feel about stopping work and make this relaxation time a priority.”

 

 

Take Those First Steps 🪜

 

From reflecting on his experience with work stress, Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon, feels that addressing an issue as soon as it arises is the best way to go.

 

For him, tackling problems head on even if it’s just by making that first phone call or sending out that first email goes on to “dramatically reduce any stress that might come from it”.

 

No matter how small, taking those first steps towards fixing a problem can help to ease your mind as soon as possible.

 

 

Find a Quiet Space & Breathe 😮‍💨

 

For Oprah Winfrey, she likes to find a quiet space to take a minute and be alone: “A bathroom cubicle works wonders, I close my eyes, turn inward, and breathe”.

 

This is a similar story for businesswoman Melinda Gates. By being so in tune with her mind and body, she can tell when she needs to take time out to slow down – “I have this chronic place in my back that as soon as I start to feel it, I know there’s been too much in my day”.

 

She’s an advocate for meditation apps and how they help to guide her breathing. Whilst she recognises that we don’t always have that spare 20 minutes to sit and meditate, she feels that there is still value in taking small, frequent meditation breaks when and where we can: “I learned from a great meditation teacher that if you just sit in small increments throughout the day, those moments will add up like pearls on a string.”

 

 

Exercise It Out 🚴‍♀️

 

We all know exercise is good for us, and health psychologist Elissa Epel says that by engaging in physical exercise, we are also helping to protect our bodies from stress.

 

He stated that “occasional shots of high stress” help to build our resilience and make us “better prepared to handle future, unexpected stressors”. He describes it as “a bit like getting a stress vaccine” and that one way of getting a shot of this high stress can be through high intensity exercise.

 

A popular training protocol for such exercise is ‘high-intensity interval training’, also known as ‘HIIT’. This style of training consists of short bursts of intense exercise along with short periods of rest.

 

If this sounds too much for you, there is still value in doing lighter forms of exercise. Michelle Obama describes any exercise as an effective ‘physical release’ from stress.

 

 

Alter Your Mindset 🧠

 

What about a mental way of coping with stress?

 

Stanford University lecturer and psychologist Kelly McGonigal says that we can learn to make stress our friend. By changing how we think and act, we can transform our experience of stress.

 

She explains that stress in shorts bursts is perfectly OK – in fact, it energises us, and helps to push us in meeting deadlines for example.

 

What we want to be avoiding is chronic stress. This is because high levels of cortisol, one of our stress hormones, increases the chances of us developing physical and mental problems due to the damage it causes our body when these levels stay elevated.

 

So, the next time we experience stress, we should change how we look at it.

 

Dr Kelly McGonigal says that when we choose to view our stress response as helpful, we “create the biology of courage”.

For example, when we begin to breathe faster, it’s not a problem. This is just one way our body is helping to get more oxygen to our brain to help us better respond to our current situation.

Using symptoms of stress to motivate and spur you on can be a really helpful way of navigating stress when it arises in your day-to-day job.

 

 

It’s about rethinking how we perceive, handle, and go on to managing our stress as a leader that will help us to best deal with it in the future.

 

 


 

To find out more about how to focus on your brand, get in touch today.
Want to hear about our other articles?
Looking to hire your next superstar?
Keen to explore our latest vacancies?
Yellow Bricks is a female-owned and led executive search firm hiring predominately for software companies with diversity and inclusion at the heart of our offering. To learn more, click here.
Related posts
How the Metaverse will change the Future of Work

How the Metaverse will change the Future of Work

Photo: Microsoft   Bill Gates predicts that within two or three years, virtual meetings will be taking place within the Metaverse. It is clear that changes to how we play, socialise, and work are coming sooner than we think 🎮 💬 💼 With the next decade heavily focused on its development, how will the Metaverse […]
Imposter Syndrome: Signs to Look Out For and 5 Ways to Overcome It

Imposter Syndrome: Signs to Look Out For and 5 Ways to Overcome It

Feeling unsure of yourself in your career? You’re not alone. Many high-achieving professionals grapple with imposter syndrome – the persistent belief that you’re not as competent as others perceive you to be. It’s a sneaky little doubt that can creep in, making you question your abilities and worth. But you can work towards banishing those […]
Benefits of Hiring Temps During Uncertain Times

Benefits of Hiring Temps During Uncertain Times

When times look rough, it is often helpful to look back for guidance.   In the past few years there has been a major battle for talent. With the post pandemic boom, many experienced exponential growth, which warranted the extra headcount. However, as things settle and in some cases, go backward, we are seeing a […]
How to Navigate a Hiring Freeze with Temporary Staffing Services

How to Navigate a Hiring Freeze with Temporary Staffing Services

We understand how hard a freeze on hiring can be, here’s how temporary staffing services can be the solution! We’ve all experienced the effects of a hiring freeze, good people leave, workloads grow, and those left behind are stretched thin. As a manager, how do you deliver on expectations while maintaining team morale? While hiring […]
Yellow Bricks – Unlocking Success with Executive Search Headhunters

Yellow Bricks – Unlocking Success with Executive Search Headhunters

Our boutique executive search agency specialises in providing seamless head hunter talent solutions. We identify and attract the best candidates to help you grow your business
How getting stage time could boost your career

How getting stage time could boost your career

Do you have insights, experiences, or ideas to share?   Make this the year they are heard! You deserve it, and here’s the big bonus – getting stage time can seriously boost your career.   Now, if the idea of standing up and speaking in front of a group makes you anxious, just remember that […]
Employee Engagement and the Human Connection

Employee Engagement and the Human Connection

The Crucial Role of Human Connection: Strategies to Enhance Team Dynamics, Employee Engagement and Productivity The significance of employee engagement and the human connection cannot be overstated in an era where the workplace is continuously reshaped by technology and shifting employee preferences. Understanding the balance between remote work and in-person collaboration is crucial for business […]
Yellow Bricks Story: Inspiring the Talent of the Future

Yellow Bricks Story: Inspiring the Talent of the Future

It is National Careers Week, often only celebrated within education establishments. What if we all did something amazing for the young people? What if we helped just one person each? Could a change happen?   It is hard to think about helping young people who are not your own. To justify doing something else with […]
Managing the School Holidays as a Working Parent

Managing the School Holidays as a Working Parent

When it comes to planning for school holidays, working parents and guardians face the huge task of making arrangements for their little people and deciding how they will go about managing the school holidays. This can be quite a stressful time, causing families to feel often guilty about not being around all of the time. […]

People. Culture. Growth.