In the new world of work, leaders face numerous challenges that can lead to increased stress and pressure. Recognising the importance of effective stress management and developing coping techniques is essential for maintaining high levels of performance and ensuring long-term business success.

Stress and leadership effectiveness
Stress can manifest in various ways and can have a profound impact on leadership effectiveness. It can hinder agility, making it more difficult to change and adapt to new circumstances. Decision-making can be impacted, leading to poor judgment and suboptimal outcomes. It can also impact a leader’s ability to communicate effectively; under pressure, leaders can appear short-tempered or impatient, negatively impacting relationships and damaging trust. 

By understanding our stress triggers and learning effective coping techniques, leaders can better equip themselves for the new world of work, remain open to change, and lead their teams effectively – ensuring ongoing business productivity and profitability. 

Common sources of stress
Leaders face a multitude of stressors and pressures in their roles. One of the most common sources of stress is the high level of responsibility that comes with leadership positions. Leaders are expected to deliver results and meet targets, often under tight deadlines and with limited resources. This constant pressure to perform – especially given the impact that was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic – can lead to increased stress levels, if not managed effectively.

In the new world of work, this is particularly challenging as leaders are managing hybrid teams and high levels of employee turnover – having to constantly onboard and reboard people. 

Stress and awareness
In this setting, the single most important thing a leader can do is invest in awareness – understanding themselves and others. ‍Awareness of self helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses; where and how you can add most value; how to challenge appropriately; and how to turn your ideas into new realities. Awareness of others – their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes – helps you become more understanding and accepting of others, able to adapt and connect, and collaborate more effectively to achieve better business outcomes. With greater awareness, you can make better, more informed decisions about how you ‘show up’ for people – and achieve better outcomes. 

Stress and communication 
Alongside increased awareness, it’s important to understand the importance of good communication and being able to adapt your style according to personal preference. During my almost two-decades in learning and development, I’ve seen (and used) a lot of different development models, with varying levels of success. However, the Insights Discovery model is one of the best at creating a simple-to-use, easy-to-remember language that helps diffuse conflict and increase understanding. 

Colourful tips for stress management
Using the Insights Discovery self-awareness model and language of colour, consider your relationship with stress – what one thing triggers an immediate stress response? What is that response? What support could you benefit from? When leaders, and the teams they lead, know how to recognise stress in self and others, they can provide targeted support until the situation is resolved. 

As a general guide, ‘cool blue’ energy can find it stressful if they’re asked for an immediate response. They may become noticeably quiet and reserved. Trying giving these people more time to consider the detail.
‘Fiery red’ energy may become frustrated when time is used inefficiently and be impatient when things progress more slowly than they’d like. Reassure them about the outcome and give them some control. 
‘Sunshine yellow’ energy can find it stressful if they don’t know what’s happening and feel excluded from important conversations and decisions. They may become vocal and dramatic. Update them and give them the opportunity to participate in the process. Meanwhile, ‘earth green’ energy may find it stressful when things seem unfair and can become stubborn. Take sufficient time to hear their concerns and be an active listener. Invite them to contribute people-centred ideas to resolve issues and prevent them from reoccurring. 

Other coping techniques 
Elsewhere, it’s essential for leaders to prioritise self-care. This includes maintaining a healthy work/life balance – including knowing when to defer, when to delegate, and when to switch off for the day. 

Leaders often feel the need to take on everything themselves and work extended hours, but this can lead to burnout and increased stress levels. By empowering and trusting colleagues to take on certain tasks, leaders can reduce their workload and create a more collaborative and supportive work environment. Additionally, by sharing tasks and maintaining proper boundaries, leaders are setting a powerful example for others to follow.

Resilience and emotional intelligence are also critical attributes for effective stress management. Resilience allows leaders to bounce back from setbacks and challenges, maintaining a positive mindset even in difficult times. Meanwhile, emotional intelligence enables leaders to understand and manage their own emotions and those of their team members. By developing these skills, leaders can better navigate stressful situations and ‘show up’ well for others. 

Don’t go it alone
Just because you’re a leader, doesn’t mean you need to ‘go it alone’ if you’re feeling stressed or under pressure. Leaders shouldn’t hesitate to seek support and resources for stress management. 

This could include bringing your team together for a development workshop that explores the concept of stress, and how it manifests differently depending on personal preference. As part of this, spend time as a team being vulnerable and building relationships, and identify individual strengths and explore how they can be harnessed to build more effective, unified, and cohesive teams.

When you come together like this as a team, you’ll find that trust increases and team/organisational culture benefits – leading to better business outcomes. 

Manage stress – don’t let it manage you
While stress and pressure are inevitable in leadership roles, effective stress management is crucial for maintaining leadership effectiveness. By understanding the impact of stress and implementing strategies for coping with it, leaders can navigate through challenging times with resilience and composure. Building trust, balancing work and personal life, and prioritising self-care are all vital components of effective stress management for leaders. By embracing stress as an opportunity for growth and investing in awareness, leaders can enhance their leadership capabilities and lead their teams to success.