Stress Management For Leaders

Stress isn’t always about the thing itself. It’s about our relationship to it. Two leaders can face the exact same challenge — a missed deadline, a difficult board meeting, a team conflict — yet their experience of stress is entirely different. Why? Stress often has less to do with the external event and more to do with the lens through which we view it. 👉 When we label something as unbearable, it grows heavier. 👉 When we approach it as a problem to be solved, it becomes manageable. 👉 When we see it as an opportunity to grow, it can even become empowering. This distinction matters because leaders carry tremendous weight. If everything feels like a “threat,” stress compounds. But if we learn to reframe — to shift our relationship to the pressure — we not only reduce stress, we increase our capacity to lead with clarity and resilience. As an executive coach, I work with clients on this every day. Here are a few practices that make a difference: ✅ Name it clearly. → Is it the situation itself that’s stressful, or the meaning you’ve attached to it? Naming the difference is the first step in reframing. ✅ Shift the narrative. → Instead of asking “Why is this happening to me?”, try “What is this asking of me as a leader?” ✅ Control the controllable. → Stress escalates when we fixate on what’s outside our power. Refocus on the small actions you can take. ✅ Build in recovery. → Even the strongest leaders need rituals that restore — whether that’s exercise, mindfulness, or simply 10 minutes of stillness. The goal isn’t to eliminate stress. The goal is to reshape our relationship to it so it serves us, rather than overwhelms us. Coaching can help; let's chat. Book Your Coaching Discovery Call Today  ↳ https://lnkd.in/eKi5cCce Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Joshua Miller for more tips on coaching, leadership, career + mindset. #executivecoaching #leadership #mentalhealth #coachingtips #wellness

"I'm fine." – says every CEO right before burnout. (Here's what the top 1% do differently about stress.) The truth? Stress isn't the real enemy. Burnout is. You can't eliminate stress completely. And you shouldn't want to. I've been at both extremes. I've coached 100s of CEOs. One thing became clear about peak performance: There's a sweet spot. Too little stress = boredom, low output. Too much = mental fatigue, burnout. The real stress triggers aren't what most leaders think: ↳ Isolation (fewer peers, less genuine feedback) ↳ Unclear priorities (urgent isn't always important) ↳ Relentless decision-making (100s of choices daily) ↳ Full accountability (every miss has your name on it) ↳ Constant context switching (strategy at 9, crisis at 10) But there's a tactical system that changes everything: —— Core Principles —— The 4 A's Framework (Respond, don't react): ↳ Accept what you can't change ↳ Adapt your response ↳ Alter what you can control ↳ Avoid unnecessary stress Remember: Not every meeting needs your presence. Not every fire needs putting out today. Not every decision needs to be yours. —— Daily Tactics —— 🎯 Strategic Timeboxing Block 90-minute focus zones. No notifications. No interruptions. This is where million-dollar insights happen. 🌱 Micro-Recovery Breaks 5–10 minute resets between tasks. Walk. Breathe. Think. Small breaks prevent big breakdowns. 💪 Non-Negotiable Exercise Even 20 minutes sharpens your mind. Movement beats mental fatigue. Make it happen. No excuses. ⏰ Strategic "No" Every yes drains energy. Protect your focus like your life depends on it. Because your business just might. —— Weekly Ritual —— 🔄 Personal Debriefs End each week with 3 questions: ↳ What worked? ↳ What drained me? ↳ What needs to change? The best leaders don't avoid stress. They master it. And when you do, you'll see: ↳ Sharper decisions ↳ Stronger teams ↳ Bigger impact Start with one small change today. See it transform your leadership tomorrow. What's your go-to stress strategy? Share below to help others ⬇️ P.S. Want a PDF of my Stress Management Cheat Sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dzqAP6f7 ♻ Repost to help a CEO in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more on peak performance.

Burnout isn’t a time problem. It’s a feeling problem. If I had a dollar for every time a high-performing exec blamed burnout on “time management”… I’d fund emotional literacy programs across India. Twice. My counselling patients include CEOs, surgeons, and creators — people who’ve mastered discipline. They’ve optimized their calendars. Their teams. Their lives. But when burnout hits? They crash. Hard. Not because they’re lazy. Not because they lack ambition. But because no one ever taught them the one thing that now matters most: How to feel. Here’s what I see, again and again:   They’re exhausted in ways sleep can’t fix.   They procrastinate, but don’t know why.   They lead others, but feel lost inside themselves. They’re emotionally cut off from their teams, their loved ones, and worst of all… themselves. And still, they try to optimize their way out. As if feelings are bugs in the system. But here’s the truth: Your brain is the CEO. Your emotions are the board. Ignore them? You’re getting fired from your own life. So what’s the fix? Here are 3 emotional strategies I teach my clients: Ground before you go. (Breathwork. Cold water. Movement.) Track emotional KPIs. Check in daily. What am I feeling? Why? What do I need? Micro-habits for presence. 1-minute pauses. Phone-free family time. Naming your emotions out loud. Because the leaders who win this decade? Won’t just be the smartest. They’ll be the ones who’ve mastered emotional presence. Because plans don’t lead people. Presence does. #psychology #mindset #people #emotions #productivity #leadership

One of the toughest tests of your leadership isn't how you handle success. It's how you navigate disagreement. I noticed this in the SEAL Teams and in my work with executives: Those who master difficult conversations outperform their peers not just in team satisfaction, but in decision quality and innovation. The problem? Most of us enter difficult conversations with our nervous system already in a threat state. Our brain literally can't access its best thinking when flooded with stress hormones. Through years of working with high-performing teams, I've developed what I call The Mindful Disagreement Framework. Here's how it works: 1. Pause Before Engaging (10 seconds) When triggered by disagreement, take a deliberate breath. This small reset activates your prefrontal cortex instead of your reactive limbic system. Your brain physically needs this transition to think clearly. 2. Set Psychological Safety (30 seconds) Start with: "I appreciate your perspective and want to understand it better. I also have some different thoughts to share." This simple opener signals respect while creating space for different viewpoints. 3. Lead with Curiosity, Not Certainty (2 minutes) Ask at least three questions before stating your position. This practice significantly increases the quality of solutions because it broadens your understanding before narrowing toward decisions. 4. Name the Shared Purpose (1 minute) "We both want [shared goal]. We're just seeing different paths to get there." This reminds everyone you're on the same team, even with different perspectives. 5. Separate Impact from Intent (30 seconds) "When X happened, I felt Y, because Z. I know that wasn't your intention." This formula transforms accusations into observations. Last month, I used this exact framework in a disagreement. The conversation that could have damaged our relationship instead strengthened it. Not because we ended up agreeing, but because we disagreed respectfully. (It may or may not have been with my kid!) The most valuable disagreements often feel uncomfortable. The goal isn't comfort. It's growth. What difficult conversation are you avoiding right now? Try this framework tomorrow and watch what happens to your leadership influence. ___ Follow me, Jon Macaskill for more leadership focused content. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/g9ZFxDJG You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

Your title doesn't make you a leader. How you choose to treat your employees does. Your actions will determine a supportive culture where high performance doesn't equal burnout. What to do as a leader: ✅ Be a role model for taking time off: ↳ Lead by example. ↳ Share when you're taking time off and, if appropriate, share photos from your vacations to normalize rest. ✅ Conduct meaningful check-ins: ↳ Make one-on-ones safe for honest talks about well-being and workload. ✅ Recognize efforts: ↳ Acknowledge team achievements and individual efforts in ways that promote well-being rather than appreciating health sacrifices. ✅ Reward quality over quantity: ↳ Praise impactful work rather than long hours. ↳ Implement performance metrics that focus on achievable outcomes, not time spent. ✅ Prioritize well-being resources: ↳ Offer mental health days and regular well-being check-ins. ↳ Provide training on stress management and burnout prevention. What to avoid as a leader: ❌ Glorifying overwork: ↳ Avoid praising employees for skipping breaks or working excessive hours. ↳ Don't make employees feel guilty for taking time off. ❌ Neglecting feedback: ↳ Don't ignore employee feedback about workload and stress. ❌ Ignoring signs of burnout: ↳ Don't dismiss employee concerns about workload or stress. ↳ Avoid creating a culture of constant urgency or crisis. ❌ Setting unrealistic goals: ↳ Don't set targets that will require overwork and sacrificing well-being. ❌ Promoting an "Always On" culture: ↳ Don't expect employees to be constantly available, especially during late evenings, weekends, and vacations. Be the leader you wish you had. ♻️ Repost to promote healthier work cultures. 🔔 Follow Dora Vanourek for more. Image credit: Adam Grant

The first time I saw this image I was a 30-year-old in my therapist's office. She asked me how I was feeling about a complicated issue. After several seconds of silence and a blank stare, she slid these words toward me. It was like a whole new language opened up for me to make sense of what was happening internally. Over a decade later, it is one of my most frequently used leadership and confidence-building coaching tools- yes, an emotions wheel. Some of my clients love it and have it hanging in their office. Some of them pause knowing it's time to get a little vulnerable. Many of them refer to it as the "emotional cheese wheel." (& Why do I make it such a common practice to stop and name your emotions? Somewhere along the line, we were taught to set our emotions aside in favor of data, logic or a "plan." Maybe we learned that feeling emotions means we are being dramatic. But in my experience, and research shows, the more we are able to accurately label our emotions, the more *in control* we feel. Emotions are data that give us clues as to what matters to us and what we care about. When we get granular about what emotions we are feeling below a broad label like "anxiety," we are able to identify WHY we are feeling them. For example, a client realized that by naming her emotions, she became clear on: ▫️ Anger: A boundary had been crossed and she needed to communicate that ▫️ Frustration: A courageous performance conversation needed to be had ▫️ Worry: Her delegation tactics needed tweaking so correct action would be taken ▫️ Inadequacy: Self-compassion would be helpful as she is back in "new role learning mode" Claiming and naming her emotions didn't give them power, it helped her reclaim confidence and power by creating internal clarity. Successful leaders are self-aware leaders. Have you used an emotions wheel and has it helped you? #womenleaders #confidence #careers #leadershipdevelopment

Leaders need to have reserves of resilience to deal with crises as they arise. If as a leader you are depleted and running on empty when a crisis occurs, it's very hard to operate at your best. The world got a lesson in the value of supply chains and the consequences of what happens when they break down during the pandemic. But for supply chains to be always on, the people who run them can’t be. And that goes for all of us, even if we don't work in supply chains!   Here is some advice I shared with supply chain leaders at the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM)'s Connect 2024 conference. ➡️  Most important: You have to put on your own oxygen mask first. Too many leaders still buy into the misguided notion that urgent or chaotic times require them to be in constant motion and always on, or that they somehow have to match the frenetic pace of the moment. In fact, the opposite is true. Because it is judgment that we need from leaders in moments of crisis, not just stamina. So it starts with prioritizing well-being for yourself, and being a role model for well-being to give others the permission to do the same. ➡️ Technology is a double-edged sword: Technology accelerates burnout when we try to be always on. What's funny is how much better care we take of our technology than ourselves. But unlike machines, humans have to unplug to recharge. In the human operating system, downtime is a feature, not a bug. ➡️ The qualities that define a successful leader: Empathy, being able to listen, being open to new voices. Not just being a broadcaster all the time, but being a receiver as well. It first requires not constantly being in fight-or-flight mode. We can’t be open to others and their creativity and innovation when we’re marinating in stress hormones and just trying to get through the day or through the next hour. ➡️ To create a Thriving Culture: Communication is key! One of our core values at Thrive is Compassionate Directness, which empowers team members to surface feedback or any problems and challenges they’re having in real time. That allows not only team members to course-correct and grow, but the company as well. In any company, and certainly in supply chains, there are obstacles to growing the bottom line. There are challenges with engagement and innovation. Wouldn’t you want to know those sooner rather than later? Knowing them — and getting to work in solving them — in real time as they arise has huge benefits to all the metrics that go into the bottom line. ➡️ And finally: Well-being needs to be embedded into the fabric of company culture and into the workflow. A company is only as resilient as its people so an investment in the healthy future of your employees is an investment in the future of your company. To build resilience into your industry, you have to build it into your people.

Burnout is stealing your energy and focus. Fight back with simple, powerful habits. Burnout creeps in when we push too hard without balance. But small, intentional habits can keep it at bay. Here are 14 habits across 7 key life areas to prevent burnout 👇 Personal Growth: 1/ Set clear goals every morning to maintain focus. ↳ People who set daily goals are 42% more likely to achieve them. 2/ Jot down 3 wins every day. ↳ Reflecting on your wins builds momentum and boosts motivation. Health: 3/ Walk outside for 10 minutes each morning. ↳ Just 10 minutes of walking boosts focus and reduces stress by up to 30%. 4/ Prioritise balanced meals with whole foods. ↳ Proper nutrition stabilises energy and supports mental clarity. Relationships: 5/ Cultivate relationships with people who inspire and challenge you. ↳ Supportive connections reduce loneliness - a key factor in burnout prevention. 6/ Have a screen-free meal with loved ones daily. ↳ Shared meals strengthen connections and increase feelings of belonging. Hobbies: 7/ Make time for a creative outlet every week. ↳ Creative hobbies lower stress and improve overall well-being. 8/ Swap screen time for a hobby that excites you. ↳ Replace scrolling with activities like painting, writing, or gardening. Career: 9/ Focus deeply on one task or project at a time. ↳ Multitasking reduces productivity by up to 40%. 10/ Limit your goals and focus on one at a time. ↳ People who focus on one goal are 3x more likely to succeed. Spirituality: 11/ Do at least one kind act every day. ↳ Kindness boosts oxytocin, increasing happiness and reducing stress. 12/ Journal 3 things you're grateful for daily. ↳ Gratitude journaling can reduce depressive symptoms by 35%. Finance: 13/ Cancel unnecessary subscriptions or expenses. ↳ Simplifying your finances creates space for what truly matters. 14/ Save 10% of your income automatically. ↳ Automating savings builds financial security and reduces money stress. The truth is this: Burnout is preventable - but only if you take action. These habits may feel small, but when done consistently, their impact is massive. — ⤵️ Tell me below which of these habits you need to work on the most? ♻️ Share this with someone who needs to hear it. It could make all the difference. ➕ Follow me, Jen Blandos, for practical tips on business, personal growth, and well-being.

Every task that comes to me is urgent and important. Sound familiar? This is a challenge many of us face daily. Early in my career, prioritization was relatively straightforward—my manager told me what to focus on. But as I grew, the game changed. Suddenly, I was managing a flood of requests, far more than I could handle, and the signals from others weren’t helpful. Everything was “important.” Everything was “urgent.” Often, it was both. To handle this effectively, I realized I needed to develop an internal prioritization compass. It wasn’t easy, but it was transformative. Here are 6 strategies to help you build your own: 1/ Be crystal clear on key goals Start by understanding your organization’s goals—at the company, department, and team levels. Attend organizational forums, departmental reviews, or leadership updates to stay informed. When in doubt, use your 1:1s with leaders to ask: What does success look like? 2/ Deeply understand KPIs Metrics guide decision-making, but not all metrics are equally valuable. Take the time to understand your team's or function's key performance indicators (KPIs). Know what they measure, what they mean, and how to assess their impact. 3/ Be assertive to protect priorities Not every task deserves your attention. Practice saying “no” or deferring requests that don’t align with key goals or metrics. Assertiveness is not about being inflexible—it’s about protecting your capacity to focus on what truly matters. 4/ Set and reset expectations Priorities change, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is working on misaligned tasks. Keep open communication with your manager and stakeholders about evolving priorities. When new demands arise, clarify and reset expectations. 5/ Use 1:1s to align with your manager Leverage your 1:1s as a strategic tool. Share your current priorities, validate them against your manager’s expectations, and discuss any conflicts or challenges. 6/ Clarify the escalation process When priorities conflict, don’t let disagreements linger. If you can’t agree quickly, escalate the issue to your manager. This avoids unnecessary churn, ensures trust remains intact, and keeps momentum focused on results. PS: You won’t always get it right—and that’s okay. Treat each misstep as an opportunity to refine your compass. What’s one tip you’ve used to prioritize when everything feels urgent? --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

The 85% Rule: High Performance without the Burnout. Burnout can’t be solved with a meditation app. It starts with a mindset shift - especially from leaders. Because here’s the truth: High performance ≠ 100% effort. Too many managers are still clinging to outdated beliefs: 👉 “Give it 110%!” 👉 “No pain, no gain.” 👉 “Push harder, get more done.” But in today’s world, those beliefs don’t inspire excellence. They create burnout. What actually works? Here’s how conscious leaders help their teams thrive.👇 1. 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 85% 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 ↳ Peak performance doesn’t come from maxing out daily. ↳ Ask your team: 👉 “What does 100% feel like?” 👉 “How can we stay at 85% and still win the week?” 2. 𝗔𝘀𝗸: “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗺 𝗜 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀?” ↳ Your top performers may not say it, but they feel it. ↳ Try: “What’s one thing I could shift to make your workflow easier?” ↳Then - listen, adjust, and protect their energy. 3. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 85%-𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 ↳ Perfection causes paralysis. ↳ Say: “Let’s move forward at 85%.” ↳ Momentum beats perfection. 4. 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 ↳ Words like “ASAP” and “URGENT” create invisible pressure. ↳ Try: “What can we pause to make space for this?” ↳ Clarity lowers stress. 5. 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 10 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 ↳ Back-to-back calls crush creativity. ↳ Give people breathing room to reset and refocus. 6. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 “𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆” 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 ↳ Unclear work hours = decision fatigue. ↳ Model boundaries. Normalize rest. Reward recovery. 7. 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 85% 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 ↳ Your team mirrors your habits - not your emails. ↳ Schedule late-night messages to send in the morning. ↳ Be the cue for sustainable leadership. We don’t need harder workers. We need healthier teams. And that starts with leaders who know: 85% is the new 100. 👉 Save this as a reset ritual for your leadership style. What do you think of the 85% Rule? I'd love to know. To learn more: read Greg McKeown's HBR article on the 85% Rule. ♻️ Repost to help bring a cultural shift in leadership. 🔔 Follow Bhavna Toor for more on conscious leadership.