One of the biggest challenges you face as a business leader is managing operations while being pulled in many directions at once. The resilience borne of conquering that stressful inundation can be one of the most powerful professional characteristics you possess.
Building resilience is an uphill task that bears many fruits. Good leaders work at creating resilience not just in themselves but also in their team members.
Here is how you can start today.
Be Transparent
Deadlines. There is no greater cause of stress and fear in the workplace than deadlines. If you understand that, you should also appreciate how the timely dissemination of information is the perfect antidote to the anxiety of time-based goals. Researchers spoke to business leaders as well as their employees and discovered that while 55% percent of the former think their organizations are transparent, only 18% of the latter agree. Many a business plan has been dashed to smithereens in that gaping chasm of consensus.
Share information about upcoming projects and expectations as early as possible in the pipeline. Being prepped well in advance of deadlines offers your team the breathing room they need to manage their responsibilities and organize their time most effectively.
Allocate with Intent
So much of the stress we experience originates in merely the anticipation of an avalanche of work rather than the work itself. If you want your team to develop resilience through the stress they experience, plan how you assign tasks to each individual.
Some people are natural organizers and able to handle multiple project threads at any time. They can juggle disparate tasks and manage shifting timelines as and when required. Take full advantage of how they thrive with stress and come out on top.
Most of us are less adept at it and greatly prefer handling tasks in discrete succession instead. Allocate tasks to these employees with a schedule that does not cause overlaps and undue stress.
Monitor Progress
It can feel more comfortable to be left to our own devices after we are handed a task or responsibility. Unfortunately, many of the biggest problems that we experience at work are the culmination of prolonged inadequate oversight.
Oversight does not have to mean keeping a perpetual eye over someone’s shoulder. It can manifest in the form of daily, weekly or quarterly catch-ups or regular informal chats at or outside the office. These will be small course corrections rather than intimidating close-quarters supervision.
This approach works because there will always be some stress inherent to being managed. However, here it is angled in a positive, productive manner which keeps your vision aligned with that of your team.
Stress happens. A great leader can recognize and address stress before it blows up spectacularly. Reach out today to learn how to build resilience, even in the most stressful of times.
