How Easy is it to “Keep Calm and Carry On?”

With stress and anxiety hitting record levels and the lines between work and home life becoming cloudier, is it really easy as the popular catchphrase, “Keep Calm and Carry On?” For some it certainly is. But for many others, embracing a zen-like mindset during stressful times is a real struggle.

Interestingly, there is a sound link between strong work performance and keeping one’s cool. According to TalentSmart, 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control. The good news is that there are concrete ways to cultivate calmness so that you can become your best self. Here are some of my favorites:

Avoid asking “What If?”

While it’s tempting to analyze a full range of scenarios, especially in the workplace, it’s best to stay away from making “What if?” statements. They have a tendency to make people even more stressed and worried about the myriad of possibilities that may or may not happen. In turn, the more you worry, the less you’ll be able to figure out how to calm yourself down. “What ifs” are actually counter productive to keeping calm; they wind up taking people to places they don’t want—or need—to go.

Consider all approaches before deciding on a course of action.

Being confident helps you become calmer—and to be confident, you need to be sure you’re doing the right thing. It’s important to think through various situations and decisions very carefully and take a patient, methodical approach instead of jumping into action. 

Within any job you’re going to have individuals from multiple groups and functions, all working together, coming up with that final perspective for the final decision. With so many points of possible input, buy-in is essential. Making great decisions is a key leadership responsibility and throughout my career I’ve found listening to others and considering all approaches important for the most impactful point of action.

Play nicely in the “sandbox.”

Collaboration in the workplace takes into account employees’ ideas, skills, experiences, and opinions. When individuals work together openly, processes and goals become more aligned, leading the group towards a higher success rate of achieving a common goal.

Throughout my career I’ve found that having strong business relationships and networking and connections are vital. Playing nicely in the sandbox, especially with other marketing professionals, provides the support and advice needed for me to do my job well. Staying open to other people’s opinions and ideas not only helps to build a stronger network, but it helps to spur idea generation and facilitate productiveness.

Stay positive.

Positive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing your brain’s attention onto something that is completely stress-free. You have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about.

As Chris Granger, executive vice president at the NBA, explains, “Talented people are attracted to those who care about them. When you help someone get promoted out of your team, it’s a short-term loss, but it’s a clear long-term gain. It’s easier to attract people, because word gets around that your philosophy is to help people.”

Being kind is really underappreciated within our world. If you’re kind and stay positive each and every day I truly believe that it will hit you back full circle.

Listen first, talk later.

A large part of collaborating successfully between employees and teams is listening to one another and making sure that everyone feels acknowledged and heard. When you prioritize listening, you’ll learn much quicker and be able to identify more gaps.

My team at Pearson is very big on collaboration because we don’t want any friction or finger pointing. We believe it’s important to have a good team dynamic and constant communication. Listening builds trust, leading to better relationships. When you feel heard and understood, it’s much more likely that calmness will follow.

Use technology wisely.

Marketing leaders are no stranger to technology and productivity tools and instant messaging can help enhance connectivity, especially in hybrid or remote working environments. When people feel more connected to what they’re doing or to each other, chances are that they will feel less stressed. But on the flip side, increased reliance on technology may lead employees to feel that they need to be available and responsive, even if outside normal working hours.

I encourage organizations to set guidelines on use of technology and let employees know that just because someone messages or emails them after hours or on weekends they are not responsible for replying right away. Creating boundaries between personal lives and work is essential to keeping stress at bay.

Strike a balance.

If you can’t remember the last time you spent your so-called free time not constantly checking job-related emails, then chances are your work-life balance stinks. And that’s problematic, because it could not only wind up hurting your personal relationships, but also messing with your sanity and putting you at risk of burnout.

Outside of work I try to unwind and keep my personal and work worlds separate. I wrote an article last summer on whether being out of the office can improve your leadership skills. We all need a place for rest and renewal, a place to create good memories. I believe that maximizing your time away from the office can provide you the time and space to become a better leader when you return.

Anne Lamott once said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” It’s important that we take time away from work so that that we can rest and restore our energy.

Cultivating calmness can require effort, but it reaps immeasurable rewards. Even if you only spend fifteen minutes a day focused on generating positive, calming energy, it will be time well spent. When you’re able to build your own knowledge capital and stay calm, cool and collected, everybody wins.

I’d love to hear how you stay calm in your own life. What else would you add? Leave a message below.