Preparing for Pressure

Last week, I wrote about our journey following the U.S. Army’s Easy Company from the beaches of Normandy through Europe to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. Those soldiers faced stress at a level few of us will ever experience, yet their story raises an important question for the rest of us:

If Stress Is Inevitable, Can We Prepare for It?

Waiting for a crisis to learn and grow can be catastrophic. To be a great leader, it is better to prepare for pressure and build resilience before stress arrives. Athletes understand this. They train to develop disciplined thinking by practicing under pressure and striving to be their best. They know they will inevitably face criticism, online and elsewhere, win or lose.

This training helps us use our physical and mental capacity to respond best when the unexpected or frightening happens. The primal brain is trained to react under pressure through practical experiences.

Our Resilience Matters

In our work at FS/A, we use the Four Stages of Fulfillment to understand the purpose we serve. Each stage plays a role in our ability to handle pressure: our resilience.

Stage I: Physical Needs: Are we taking care of ourselves—fulfilling our needs for sleep, exercise, nutrition, and recovery—so our batteries are fully charged to address challenges?

Stage II: Competency: Are we continually learning so we can apply our best thinking when stress arises? How competent are we in comparison to others?

Stage III: Servant Purpose/Benefiting Others: Are we honoring our role and responsibilities, what we do, how we make others feel, and how we develop them for something greater?

Stage IV: Creating a Better Tomorrow: Do we have a clear picture of something larger than ourselves that deeply touches us and guides our work?

When these four stages are in synchrony, with the lower stages supporting the upper, our capacity to handle stress increases. We build a foundation prepared to handle stress.

Any diminishment of the lower stages reduces our ability to handle pressure. Great leaders understand that they and we need to build from the bottom up.

Resilience is a competency we can build.

But There Is Another Consideration

Do we have a system in place that creates more anxiety than is optimal, thereby inhibiting growth and performance?

Sometimes the system the team member is forced to work within presents a challenge. Organizations need to be careful. Even the most sophisticated machines require regular tuning and maintenance. Team members and the systems in which we operate need the same care and attention for effective delivery.

If people are constantly working amid broken processes, unclear responsibilities, poor communication, unnecessary meetings, inadequate resources, or conflicting priorities, telling them to “manage their stress better” will not yield the desired results.

Sometimes the System Needs Fixing

One of the principles we have emphasized throughout our work at FS/A is that when good people repeatedly struggle, we should examine the systems around them. Can the majority of those who qualify for this position achieve the desired results, or do we have a systems problem?

Success is a result of managing energy. What energizes and what de-energizes? When energy is directed toward the mission focused on patients, customers, and teammates, the desired results can be achieved … almost naturally!

Prepare the Person. Improve the System.

Perhaps the healthiest way to address stress requires us to do both. Build stronger people . . . and build effective systems around them.

We need people who can respond to adversity. But we also need leaders willing to remove unnecessary adversity. We cannot eliminate stress from life or leadership, and we shouldn’t want to. Some of our greatest growth happens when we are stretched beyond what we thought possible. The question is whether that pressure is helping us improve or simply wearing us down.

Reflection

• How aligned are your Four Stages of Fulfillment—from the foundation up—for your team today?
• What stress is your organization creating that could be eliminated?

NEXT WEEK:

How can we help our team members build a foundation to handle the pressure we intend to put them under so they can learn, grow, and gain greater resilience?