American workers are dealing with very high levels of stress, brought on by fear, uncertainty, and doubt about their financial futures, the economy, and politics. We’re seeing this now during the current presidential election cycle.
When people are exposed to a sustained ecosystem of stress, they burn out. That’s because our brains try to protect us, which often means backing away and shutting down when we are stressed.
That’s bad for business and creates conflict in the workplace, but there are ways management can help.
Effective Leadership in Stressful Times
1. Identify the Leader’s Bias
One of the best tools for leaders is the cognitive bias assessment provided by Harvard University. By understanding their own biases, leaders realize that not everyone on their team thinks and feels exactly as they do. It opens their eyes to points of view obscured by their own past programming.
2. Set up a Resiliency Gym
Strong leaders realize that resiliency is a muscle that can be developed. Helping workers focus their energy on what they can control and away from things they cannot is like taking them to the resiliency gym.
3. Finalize your Team Commitments
These agreements allow the leader to set expectations for conflict resolution, workplace discussion topics, and shared mission and purpose. At a time when so much is happening in the world around us that doesn’t quite make sense, agreeing to keep it out of the workplace can significantly reduce overall stress.
4. Give Your People Some Resources
It can be as simple as five or 10 minutes shaved off meeting times to allow employees to take a short break and decompress. It could also be one of the many mindfulness or meditation apps available today. Providing access to additional coaching or training resources, especially for middle managers, can have a positive impact on an entire department.
No one can be working in the productivity zone if fear, uncertainty, and doubt impose unmanageable stress. If we want to get work done, we must be working out of the executive function of our brain.
To help workers achieve this, management must lead with compassion and provide the resources that help employees become more resilient.
- Heather Polivka
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