Stress Resilience Training Programs

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐑𝐮𝐠𝐛𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 In this video, South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby) head coach Rassie Erasmus walks around playing the French national anthem during training. This was in preparation for the quarter-final match against the FFR - Fédération Française de Rugby— during the Rugby World Cup France 2023. This was to prepare the players for the loud noise and the home crowd, and is a form of stress exposure training. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? According to Driskell et al. (2008), this form of training involves exposing individuals to demands that may be present in a given task setting: ✅Noise ✅ Threat ✅ Time pressure ✅ Fatigue ✅ Other environmental demands 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲? Driskell and Johnston (1998) stated that this form of training involves 3 distinct phases: 1️⃣ 𝙀𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙀𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 During this part of training, individuals are provided with information on what stress is, common symptoms that people can experience when experiencing stress, and the effects of stress on performance in a pressurised setting. We 2️⃣ 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 During Phase 2, individuals learn the skills that are required in the specific task setting (i.e., rugby match, military, law enforcement). 3️⃣ 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 Practice should involve exposure to realistic conditions to build the confidence of individuals. This is what we can see in the video. The South African team are training under noisy conditions to enhance their confidence at performing under such conditions. 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸? Driskell et al. (2001) found that stress exposure training enhanced performance during stressful settings and reduced stress perceptions. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (2004) has also used stress exposure training to simulate stress among law enforcement officers and improve decision-making under stress (Norris & Wollert, 2011). 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀? In addition to exposing individuals to demanding situations, I think it's very important to teach coping strategies that can be deployed and practised under stressful training conditions because we know that coping is associated with performance across many sports (Nicholls et al., 2016). That is, give athletes the tools to be able to cope when they are exposed to different demanding environments and allow them time to practice these coping strategies because we know it can take time for coping to develop and become more effective (Nicholls, 2007).

It is a joy to teach and support government leaders who are committed to being wise, effective, human-centered leaders! That is exactly what I had the chance to do recently when teaching at the National Criminal Justice Association's Leadership Academy in Raleigh, NC. In my two-day session on Leadership Resilience, I took them beyond the usual lessons about the human stress response and methods to self-soothe and reset. I took them on a deep dive to distinguish between the two kinds of workplace stress and identify the right solutions for each. The first is Systemic Stress. This is the stress we experience because "regular" work has been made far more stressful than it needs to be. The solution to Systemic Stress is NOT breathing, yoga, nature, or exercise. The solution to Systemic Stress is to stop making the workplace so darn overwhelming, fearful, confusing, complicated, fractured, and hopeless!! The solution to Systemic Stress is OPERATIONAL and CULTURAL. I shared strategies and tactics for individuals, teams, and organizations to minimize sources of Systemic Stress so the workplace can be safer and more clear, whole, spacious, simple, and hopeful. THEN stress goes down, and work is enjoyable. The second kind of workplace stress is Inherent Stress. This is the stress we experience because the nature of the work itself is stressful. This is work we choose to do to make a difference, knowing it is stressful. Examples of inherently stressful roles include firefighters, police, social workers, therapists, ER doctors and nurses, high-risk roles, leaders subject to intense public scrutiny, and more. Addressing Inherent Stress has two prongs. Individuals can develop and practice skills to reset from the stressors they experience. AND, even more importantly, workplaces and teams with Inherent Stress can create Cultures of Collaborative Well-Being. On such teams, when a team member experiences a trauma as part of the work, they are not left to fend for themselves. They have access to peer support, grieving rituals, backup staffing, reset breathing at team meetings, walking meetings to benefit from moving, safety to cry when needed, and more. Scientifically known practices to reset from stress are BUILT INTO THE TEAM AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE. No one is left on their own to fend for themselves when traumatized. This means... The teacher who was assaulted by a student in the classroom is not expected to go back into that classroom and continue teaching. They have backup. The social worker whose long-time client has passed away is supported to grieve, rather than receiving an email about the death and being immediately assigned a new case. The elected official subjected to verbal attacks during public comment is supported by all colleagues. Does this resonate with you and your work? Reach out to me to learn more about truly helpful Leadership Resilience training for your team.

Why is it so hard for teams to embrace change? LinkedIn is buzzing with news about failing AI initiatives. According to HBR, 70% of transformations fail. 🚨 Anxiety about change is 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭. 🚨 The human brain is a "prediction machine" that uses past experiences to anticipate the future. When change disrupts those patterns, it triggers a threat response—even for positive changes. What does this mean for leaders? You must know and influence this 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦. Here are 4 tactics to build your team's resilience: 1. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 (𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞) Stop wasting energy on what you can't control. Focus your team's attention where it matters: - Circle of Control: Your direct actions - Circle of Influence: Areas you can shape - Circle of Concern: Things to let go 2. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 4 𝐑'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲) Build your team's mental toughness: - Recognize emotions (give people time to feel and grieve!) - Reframe challenges as opportunities - Respond with intentional action - Reflect to improve next time 3. 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 (𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐃𝐰𝐞𝐜𝐤) Help your team see setbacks differently. - Obstacles aren't roadblocks. They're chances to level up. - Frame failures as data points. Each one makes your team sharper. 4. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐛𝐚𝐮𝐦) Expose your team to manageable stress. Build their immunity before crisis hits. - Role-play tough client conversations. - Practice high-stakes presentations. Small doses of pressure now = Calm confidence when it counts. ♻️ Find this valuable? Repost to help others. Follow me for posts on effective communication, leadership, and critical thinking. 📌 Want a high-definition PDF of this cheat sheet? Comment "PDF" here, and I'll DM you. Hi, I'm Vince, CEO of Sparkwise. We scale the 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 way for teams to build skills like this: by thinking, practicing, and reflecting in small groups. Check out our topic library: https://lnkd.in/gKbXp_Av