If you are alive, you experience stress. And while not all stress is harmful, excessive stress can lead to burnout, reduced productivity, and reduced mental and physical health. Since we spend so many of our waking hours working, it is common for people to experience stress at work. In fact, many people list work near the top of their list of stressors. That’s why it is essential for leaders to understand the role they play in stress management – and to recognize what they can do to reduce the stressors involved in work.
Why It Matters
When you look at the factors leaders and organizations are trying to improve today, many can be connected to their role in stress management for team members. A healthy work environment and effective leadership can:
- Improve employee satisfaction.
- Increase employee engagement.
- Improve productivity.
- Improve mental health of team members.
- Improve focus.
- Increase retention.
- Reduce lost work time (and injuries).
In every conversation I have with organizational leaders, at least one of these concerns comes up. If we take our role in stress management seriously, we are doing the “right thing” from a human perspective and positively impacting organizational results, as well.
How Leaders Can Reduce Stress at Work
Here are some ways individual leaders can help their team members experience less distress at work, and get better results:
- Set clearer expectations. People will be far less stressed when they know what is expected and have a clear signpost for success. As a leader, we must make our expectations clear. When we do, we take the first step toward people reaching (and exceeding) those expectations and reducing their stress level.
- Create space for open communication. Not only do we need to encourage open communication, we need to give people time and opportunity to share. If meetings are so packed that there is no chance for a question, or your one-on-ones feel rushed, or people don’t know when or how to get some time with you, their stress level may rise.
- Cultivate psychological safety. When people feel it is safe to share how they are feeling, they have an outlet. And that gives you a chance to see how you can help. Sometimes all they need is your ear, not your answers. When you listen without judgement or immediately trying to solve something, you are building psychological safety. Here are five ways to boost it with your team.
- Be more empathetic. We can help people with stress management by being empathetic with them. As you work to understand what they are thinking and how they are feeling, you give them a respite and an important ally. And, as the leader, you may be able to provide some ways for them to manage the current situation. How can you give them some time off, adjust a timeline, or shift a project off their plate if you don’t know that their stress level is too high?
- Foster a supportive culture. When people work in an environment where they feel supported by their leader and their teammates, stress will be reduced. As a leader, you can foster a culture of listening, trust, belief, caring, and respect.
- Lead by example. Certainly, you can take the actions on this list as it relates to your team. But you can also model healthy behaviors and stress management techniques. Not only should you encourage your team to take breaks, exercise, and practice self-care, but we need to do it ourselves too (and go first).
As leaders do these things, they reduce the stressors team members experience and set the table for all of the positive outcomes we’ve already talked about.
What The Organization Can Do
The point of this article is to explore what leaders can do to help with stress management for their team members, but there is an organizational role too. If you are a senior leader (or someone has shared this with you), consider these organization-wide ideas/questions to support stress management – and reap the benefits of doing so:
- Think about culture. What can we do organizationally to support and build a culture that addresses mental health and stress management?
- Expect these things of leaders. If you want leaders to do the things on the list above, you must make it part of what you expect of them in their leadership role. Are you making these behaviors a clear performance expectation for your leaders?
- Support, train, and coach leaders. The list above includes a variety of skills. Are your leadership development activities addressing and equipping leaders with these skills?
- Provide external support. Leaders are the first line of defense here, but your leaders aren’t equipped to help with all mental health challenges that may relate to stress. Are you providing external resources to support both leaders and team members in managing their stress successfully?
How individuals deal with and respond to stressors ultimately belongs to them. And there is much we can do organizationally and as individual leaders to help. When we invest in the context, environment, and well-being of the team, everyone wins.
…..
How we design our teams and culture can have a huge impact on individual and team productivity. If you want to explore that connection and want a practical guide to design your team and culture to get great results. Our new book The Long-Distance Team: Designing Your Team For Everyone’s Success will help. Learn more, get a sample chapter, and order a copy for yourself and your team members.
0 comments