Stress Management
 

Definition of Stress: A physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension.

The recognition and management of stress is very important and should not be neglected.  Reducing the amount of stress you face on a daily basis can improve both your home and work life.  Stress faced by leaders is no exception and in fact has been associated with leader effectiveness and subsequent stress in followers.  Stress in the leader-follower relationship can be induced and incurred at both ends of the relationship¹.  Therefore it is important to be aware of the causes and effects of stress and ways to manage stress.  

Recognizing Stress

You might be experiencing stress if:

• You feel overloaded with the amount of work required
• You feel that there is a lack of time to do your work
• There is a conflict in your work demands

You might be experiencing high levels of stress if you have the following symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Sleeplessness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability
• Forgetfulness
• Weight gain or loss

Common Sources of Stress in Leadership Roles ²

• Long working hours
• Travel
• Attending numerous meetings
• Work overload
• Work relationships

General Stress Management Techniques         

• Exercise using a consistent schedule                                                
• Reduce the amount of caffeine, sugars, and fatty foods in your diet

• Make sleep a priority – identify the appropriate amount your body needs each    
• Relaxation through meditation, listening to music, etc.

• Separate work life from home/family life

Specific Stress Management for Leaders                                

• Improve time management skills
• Set reasonable goals – break up your tasks into manageable pieces
• Monitor the number of hours you work during the week and set a limit
• Take breaks and reward yourself with leisurely activities
• Learn to delegate when possible

Leadership should be a continuous and flexible process.  However, if this is not the case a stressful situation can occur.  It has been suggested that leadership can be used to control or reduce burnout (an extreme form of stress, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishment) in several ways, including the following³:

• Knowing the signs of stress and burnout
• Maintaining realistic goals
• Removing job ambiguities
• Altering work conditions that are physically and mentally stressful
• Introducing major changes when needed
• Initiating and promoting a stress management program when needed (this topic is addressed further in the next section)

Occupational Stress Interventions

            If your organization is thinking about introducing a stress intervention, it is important for everyone involved to be ready for the change process.  Specifically, it has been recommended that before a stress intervention is implemented the organization needs to address the following:

(1) developing a social climate of learning from failure; (2) providing participation and negotiation at all levels when designing the intervention; (3) being aware of behaviors that might challenge the effectiveness of the intervention; and (4) explicitly define role and responsibilities during the intervention process⁴.  Making these provisions before the intervention will increase effectiveness and lasting changes.

            Stress management interventions aimed at the individual within the workplace have several benefits.  For example, they improve perceived work life, reduce complaints, and enhance psychological resources and responses.  There are several types of interventions, although cognitive –behavioral techniques have been found to be most effective.  That is, in comparison to relaxation training, and other popular techniques, interventions aimed at changing cognitions and reinforcing active coping are most helpful to individuals trying to reduce stress⁵.

References

¹  Smith, M. & Cooper, C. (1994).  Leadership and stress.  Leadership and Organizational

Development Journal, 15(2), 3-8.

²  Cooper, C.L. & Marshall, J. (1978).  Understanding Executive Stress, Macmillan, London.

³  Niehouse, O.I. (1984).  Controlling Burnout:  A leadership guide for managers.  Business   
            Horizons, 27(4), 80-86.

⁴  Nytro, K., Saksvik, P.O., Mikkelsen, A., Bohle, P., & Quinlan, M. (2000).  An appraisal of key

factors in the implementation of occupational stress interventions.  Work & Stress, 14(3), 213-225.

⁵  Van der Klink, J.J.L., Blonk, R.W.B., Schene, A.H., Van Dijk, F.J.H. (2001).  The benefits of

interventions for work-related stress.  American Journal of Public Health, 91(2), 270-276.

~ Contributed by Tara Thorne