A few years ago, at the height of the technology boom, I spoke with a talented software engineer who, despite his young age, held a managerial position.
Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
In a very short time, he had become a satisfied, very competent, and respected producer under stressful leadership who no longer enjoyed his job. He told me that he felt compelled to accept the promotion and did so reluctantly. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
He soon realized that he did not enjoy dealing with people who were performing very poorly, did not know how to motivate them, or hold them accountable, and was confused by the many problems of the people who took up much of his time during the day. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
The training he received was for developing algorithms, not people. He was very stressed, he was no longer in a state of turmoil (a situation in which a person is immersed in the process of doing work with complete fascination and satisfaction) and he was away from his favorite job, writing software. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
Knowing that our skills are good enough to do our job is one of the prerequisites of being in a state of turmoil; The amazing state of consciousness described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a professor of psychology and management. In his book Flow:
In the Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihai explains that “being” or “being in the region” is a state of consciousness in which we become so engrossed in our work that we do not realize the passage of time and hours for us. Minutes pass. I liken it to times when we are so overwhelmed by a project or work that we forget to eat. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
To be in the situation, we have to balance the important talents and challenges at work. When the level of challenge is high, but our ability to face the challenge is low, we become anxious. If this situation persists for a long time and we are constantly anxious, we will enter a cycle of stress that can lead to burnout.
Another type of stress we are often reminded of is “technology overload” stress: emails, text messages, smartphones, blogs, all of these lead to a lack of focus and impact on our productivity. In this modern world, the fear of not catching up with these technologies drives us crazy to do multiple things at once(Multitasking) does.
A recent article in Times Magazine addresses the issue of multitasking. And concludes that multitasking is actually misleading us into thinking that we can do several things; In reality, however, we do both less and the quality of our work is lower. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
A very interesting fact: “When a New York Times reporter interviewed several McArthur Genius Award winners. He found that a significant number of them turned off their cell phones on the go or set aside to take this opportunity to think. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
Interestingly, in Dr. Howard Gardner’s article “The Composite Mind Leader,” was published in HBR Magazine’s 2006 list of Success Ideas. We find that one of the most important characteristics of a leader. Information synthesis requires the development of standards for selection, standards such as source validity and relevance.
Combining information also includes asking such questions as. “Does this information make up a coherent story?” And “Do these trends make sense?”. In today’s data-rich world, choosing which information is worth our attention is an important ability to reduce stress. And, ultimately, be more effective as a leader. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
What can we do to minimize stress? In addition to learning to integrate information effectively. To help ourselves and those around us? Here are some strategies :
1. Develop the leadership skills of new leaders.
Make sure your new leaders have the right tools to lead the people. This is an important condition that helps leaders succeed and minimize their stress. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
These tools include: consulting with a person as a coach. Considering appropriate assessments of leadership skills to identify strengths and weaknesses. Participating in the development of a leadership learning and training implementation plan. As well as supporting and Continuous feedback. Reducing job stress of managers with effective strategies.
2. Actively manage the performance of new leaders.
Create conditions that allow your entire team to be in a position to help them achieve the desired results. This is another way to reduce workplace discomfort and help team members perform successfully.
Involves setting clear goals and expectations, providing instant feedback on the quality of an individual’s performance. And helping employees understand the impact of their efforts.
Finally, This means that we can no longer wait for the annual review to discuss employee performance. And come up with an overview of “reforms”. And inappropriate and can cause great harm.
3. Reduce stress through commitment, control, and challenge.
In addition, Of course, not all people are exposed to stress. Some people have a lot of flexibility, and not only can they cope better with stress, but stress also helps them grow and prosper.
All in all, These are people who do not show too much sensitivity. Do not allow external events to divert them from the main path, do not turn a blind eye to the goal, and maintain their mental flexibility. No matter what happens around them.
In addition, While others are captivated by problems and issues. Such people focus on solutions and follow one mental path: moving forward. They do not waste their time worrying about things they can not change. And on the contrary, they focus only on the things that are within their control.
Finally, Compare these people with those who are less likely to face difficulties and hardships. With those who are hard on themselves because of the mistakes, they have made.
All in all, With those who break down the steps behind them, and probably never endure a difficult situation. they will not come. Naturally, we admire the “flexible” group. What can we learn from this group to deal with stress and workplace difficulties?