Are you a stressful leader? 7 signs to know it

Some time ago, a friend's husband who was the director of a transportation company, told me: "But I don't want my employees to reduce their stress! I would like to put a pin in their bottom (sorry) to get them to work!"

Many people think about stress as necessary to have good results, and most of them usually say "I work better under pressure" without considering the negative effects of long-term, chronic stress.

But what is the role of leadership in the stress response? Is it possible for a leader, to generate more stress within his/her team, than is reasonable or necessary in terms of productivity?

As I mentioned in my post What does your company do to prevent employees burnout, even when stress is an individual response, there are some organizational issues that trigger stress response beyond the individual. One of these issues is BAD LEADERSHIP.

It is now widely accepted that "People leave managers, not companies". Prof. Bob Sutton author of Good Boss, Bad boss, and Why good bosses tune in to their people, also mentions that "for more than 75% of employees, dealing with their immediate boss is the most stressful part of their jobs... lousy bosses can KILL YOU" and he adds:

A 2009 Swedish study tracking 3,122 men for ten years found that those with bad bosses suffered 20 to 40 percent more heart attacks than those with good bosses

By contrast, good bosses who care about their employees, improve satisfaction, retention, productivity and profitability in their companies.

Bosses determine how employees spend their day, if they experience joy or despair, perform well or badly, they are healthy or sick.

Moreover, the way leaders act, causes a CASCADING EFFECT, impacting others behave in a similarly way:

Followers monitor, magnify, and often mimic their moves... I worked with a large company where the CEO did almost all of the talking in meetings, interrupted everyone, and silenced dissenting underlings. His executive vice presidents complained about him behind his back, but when he left the room, the most powerful EVP started acting the very same way. When that EVP left, the next-highest-ranking boss began imitating him in turn.

So, how do you know if you are a stressful leader? Being a bad boss, or stressful leader does not necessarily mean yelling. Here are some clues:

1) "I supervise my employees often, whether they are new or have been working with me for a long time. I do not trust them and as the Italian proverb said "The eye of the master fattens the horse".

FACT: continuous vigilance or micromanagement don't improve performance, it may even get worse.

2) "I trusted my people since day 1, even if I see that they have trouble doing their job, I think they will find ways to solve them, and I do not have time to teach."

FACT: This type of leader is the other side of the coin. Not supervising at all, or not providing direction or support if necessary, can also generate stress in a new team or one with the basic skills. Even though this type of leadership can enhance some other skills in the team, its members can require time and maturity.

3) "I think the most important way to be competitive is to give an immediate response, so always demand things for TODAY"

FACT: This attitude really means not planning enough, and for everyone - both bosses and colleagues- living constantly in an emergency situation could be extremely exhausting.

4) "I think the private lives of my employees are not my business. So, I don't use to ask them how they are or ask about their families ".

FACT: Employees appreciate bosses who care for them, and treat them as human beings. This concern must be genuine, otherwise, it would be negative.

5) "Feedback to be effective must be immediate, if not, it loses its impact. So, if I need to correct a mistake from my employees, I proceed immediately to do so, if there are some colleagues around him, even better. They can also learn from the mistake "

FACT: Although certainly feedback should be timely, it would be best to do in private. Few things can be more stressful than receiving being called out in public.

6) "Telling someone who has done their job well, is not a good idea... they will stop acting efficiently. I do not think at this point I should recognize people, people work for money and this company pays high salaries"

FACT: Both forms of recognition, social as well as economic, impact positively impact the performance of your employees.

7) "I'm okay with this wellness initiative for my employees, but I don't have time to go to any session, and I do not suffer from stress "

FACT: Good leaders lead by example and wellness initiatives among others, fail due to the lack of commitment and support from management. On the other hand, many leaders are not aware of their own stress, which can negatively affect not only their health but their function.

Just remember:

Good bosses don't create more stress than their teams actually need.

Stress management is a key competency for leadership.

A previous version of this article was published in my blog

transformatuestres.blogspot.mx

About the author:

Claudia Juarez is Stress Management Expert. She has been working with many companies about transforming stress to create resilience and improving health and performance. As Wellness Consultant she has been working with companies and partners to assess, create and develop wellness programs. In her private practice she attends clients with anxiety, stress and related disorders, also provides peak performance training for executives and athletes.

Copyeditor: Darrell Polk

Image: freedigitalphotos.net