Leadership Perspectives

Overwhelming workload

Coping with overwhelm? Keep learning.

Ever watch what happens as the workload keeps building, complexity keeps increasing, and leaders try to cope by working harder and faster? Work hours extend and anxiety levels rise, but productivity does not necessarily increase as leaders frantically attempt to simply keep up. Hard work is not a bad thing. Sometimes we need to work […]

Leaders under stress: Pay attention to lifestyle factors

Many leaders compound the stress inherent in leadership responsibilities with the additional stress experienced by our bodies and minds when we don’t care for ourselves properly.  I have learned that three lifestyle factors are essential for me to operate effectively.  Without them my ability to manage stress goes right out the window.  Proper nutrition:  Food […]

Four step plan for cleaning up unresolved issues and projects

Those issues that you know you need to address but just haven’t gotten to, and those half-finished projects, often the result of multitasking (see prior post: Multitasking: a less effective way to cope), are like the proverbial ball and chain that weigh us down.  Over time, unresolved issues contribute just as much stress, if not […]

Multitasking: A less effective way to cope

Stress is inevitable.  Deadlines, decisions, presentations, staff issues, the economy, and much more conspire to make leadership a stressful endeavor.  Fortunately, we can choose how to deal with stressful circumstances.  Unfortunately, leaders often choose multitasking. Multitasking, the logical choice.  When overburdened leaders feel stressed out, the first coping mechanism to kick in is multitasking.  The […]

Coping With Information Overload

Sheer volume of information is one of the greatest stressors that leaders face.   Just like the ringing of a telephone sets off the urge to answer it, the arrival of yet another magazine, electronic newsletter, or social media notification reinforces the obligation to keep up on the information that comes our way. The problem is […]

Leaders under fire and National Stress Awareness month

Whether you call it stress, overwhelm, or some other name, I constantly hear from leaders that they are pulled in too many directions, expected to multitask relentlessly, and have significantly more input and information coming in than they can ever effectively process.  In short, they live their lives as though they are constantly under fire. […]