Leaders were forced to reconsider their management style in light of the pandemic, and to be more flexible and empathetic when faced with unprecedented challenges. Five years on, the world is still complex and employees are still dealing with stress and anxiety. How can leaders help their teams to manage these pressures effectively?
Create a culture of safety
Lesley Cooper is the founder of WorkingWell, and the author of Brave New Leader. She explains that in order to prevent stress from being triggered by work pressure, leaders must create a culture where people feel comfortable sharing their struggles and giving feedback, even if it is not what they want to hear.
Cooper explains that “psychological safety, or its lack, directly impacts the way employees work together. It can also affect their willingness to speak out and how they communicate issues. She adds that leaders who foster psychologically-safe environments enable their teams openly to discuss their stressors, challenges and workload management, encouraging healthier discussions about personal wellbeing and workload management.
You need to understand how dangerous it is to constantly feel unsafe. It can lead to stress. Cooper summarizes that prioritising psychological security is crucial to prevent stress from escalating, and ultimately leading burnout.
Recognise employee feelings
Leaders must be able tune in to each person’s stress triggers and emotions to be able support their team through stressful situations. James Woodfall is an emotional intelligence expert who founded Raise Your EI. He says, “Leaders are only able to offer the best response when they understand how their team feels.”
It goes beyond what is said. It can be hard to talk to someone who is in a higher position. Some people may mask their stress to avoid a reaction from a manager. As a result, you should be able to recognize the physiological reactions that indicate how your employees feel, including increased muscle tension, tapping or fidgeting, changing voice volume or pitch, and avoiding eye-contact.
He says, “Investing time in learning these signs will help leaders identify those who may need extra support.” We can build trust by being aware of and sensitive to the emotions of other people.
Reach Out and Connect
Leaders can play a significant role in helping teams manage stress. Archana Mohan explains in The through line that “reach in and find your throughline, the thread which links who you are with how you lead.” You can then reach out and understand others.”
Leaders who reach out to others realise that everyone feels emotions during stressful times. Once you realize that you’re not alone, you can better relate to others and understand their situations. Mohan says that authenticity is the key to achieving this. Authenticity is the foundation of trust and openness that builds connections. Reaching out allows you to make that connection.
Connections can be a lifeline in times of stress. These connections, says Mohan, help you learn and see things you don’t know. They provide stability in the face of uncertainty. The connections help teams to navigate through stress and offer support when challenges arise.
Encourage more autonomy
Dr. Carmen Vlasceanu argues, from a perspective that may be unexpected, that leaders can help their employees manage stress by encouraging greater autonomy. She says, “People are more empowered when they make decisions themselves.” This feeling of autonomy helps reduce stress and burnout because it allows people to manage their time and take charge of their responsibilities.
Vlasceanu emphasizes, however, that this doesn’t mean employees should be left to manage their workloads on their own. She notes that “management should set clear goals, provide employees with the tools to work independently and offer them guidance when they need it”. Some people will not feel comfortable with high levels of autonomy. For them, a more personalized approach may be necessary. She concluded, “To reduce stress, it is important to find the right balance of autonomy and support. This will allow workers to feel confident but also have the support they need in order for them succeed.”
Reframe and reshape your team’s response
Sukaiyna G. Gokal, the founder of Garden of Ayden, and author of THE HUMAN TOUCH, explains that leaders can play a vital role in helping teams manage stress by guiding them on how to observe and reframe challenges. Your internal narrative influences your external responses. Gokal asks: “Do you think the world is against your good if something bad happens or do you see goodness in everything that comes?”
If people are nervous and scared when they enter a meeting, this energy will be carried into the session. Gokal says that if people walk into a meeting with confidence and are determined to make it work, then everything will change. Leaders can encourage this shift in mindset by encouraging reflection and contemplation.
The difficult experiences we have are important to help us grow and progress. “If we do something each day that is scary, at the end we can be proud of ourselves for having pushed our comfort zones. Every day, the outcome can be different. What we consider negative today may be positive tomorrow. Leaders can guide their teams to see beyond the stress and the possible,” she says.
Team dynamics: Invest in the team’s performance
Stress is a relational, systemic experience. It indicates where there are tensions in systems, voices that go unheard and leaders who over-function. It is important to examine the team as a whole, says Georgina, founder of Team Coaching Studio, and author of The Art of Team Coaching .
Supporting teams starts not with tools or tactics but with presence and dialogue. It also begins with the courage to respond to what is really happening. Leaders must shift their focus away from isolated “fixes” and instead nurture the conditions that allow teams to build a relational field, stay resourceful even when faced with challenges.
Micro-experiments such as asking, ‘what small changes could make today 5% more easier?’ create tiny shifts that are owned by the entire team and generate trust.
“Organizations that are brave enough to adapt authentically to stress can thrive and pivot by discovering new pathways. Woudstra summarizes that external support and team coaches can be valuable enablers in this situation.
Prioritise self-care
Leaders must also prioritize their own care if they want to be the best at supporting their teams during times of stress. Caroline Taylor, coauthor of The Neglected Acts Of Leadership, and Managing director of The Oxford Group believes that taking time out for yourself isn’t self-indulgence, but essential to becoming a leader who is effective and purposeful.
She argues that by taking the time to learn from your mistakes, to exhale to clear your mind, or to make space to decompress, and to process the aftermath of a stressful situation, you actively model the importance of self-care in stressful times.
Taylor says that it is easy to take on a lot of stress when you are leading others during stressful times. Leaders who are exhausted or burnt out can’t do their job or help the team. Taylor says that by prioritising your self-care you will be able to support and guide your team in managing their stress.
The original version of this article, How do leaders help their teams manage stress?, appeared first on Human Resources News.
