Stress

#Beingaleader means you live in a world of stress (defined as
a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.) Changing circumstances. Pace of life. Unforeseen issues. Volume of issues. Loudness of the questions. All of these can lead to stress. How you handle it will show how you are #beingaleader.

The inevitability of stress means you should spend less time trying to avoid it and more time understanding how you react to and handle and hopefully succeed through it. For those of us who believe in an afterlife an example might be in order. I believe you should spend less time worrying about dying and more time dealing with where you intend to reside after you die. Dying is inevitable. The only thing you can really control is your destination after death. Same thing with stress. It’s inevitable. Stop worrying about it and trying to avoid it. It can’t be done. That’s what inevitable means. The one thing that you can control is your reaction and response.

#Beingaleader means you need to measure your reaction or response. Reactions you make in the moment are often a truer reflection of who you are as a leader than anything else. Do not be surprised by stress. Prepare for it and allow that moment to be one in which you rise above and shine. A measured response could entail taking a deep breath before reacting. It could involve simply waiting a few seconds to gather your thoughts. Perhaps it’s suppressing a reactive emotion. It could come in many varieties but should be whatever works for you to help you provide a measured response to the situation.

#Beingaleader means you need to project calm to your team. Not only should you find a way to measure your own response, the response you provide your team should be one that helps them to do the same. Your team is relying on you to lead them to the objective. You cannot freak out and expect them to stay on task. Your job is to project calm and a level of certainty such that they have confidence that things are being handled.

#Beingaleader means you need to fight through and keep a clear head during the stress.
In the movie Apollo 13, there is a scene where two astronauts are not handling the stress of the moment and they are attacking each other at a critical time. The character played by Tom Hanks interrupts them, raises his voice and says “we’re not gonna go bouncing off the walls for ten minutes, because we’re just gonna end up right back here with the same problems!” That’s helping the team focus. That’s providing a measured response. That’s #beingaleader.

Stress is inevitable. Stress comes with #beingaleader. Understanding this will better prepare you to deal with reality as it comes.