Overcoming the effects of stress to better deal with turbulence

Managing to keep a cool head in order to properly decide under pressure has always been one of the important qualities for a leader. Indeed, the cross-analysis of 43 field studies published in 2011 in the Journal of Organizational Behavior shows that the mastery of emotions leads to a better professional performance.

This ability is becoming all the more important as organizations are confronted with increasing uncertainty. Strategic decisions need to be regularly revisited due to technological developments, political uncertainties and geopolitical instability. This translates into reorganizations, reoriented projects and budget reallocations. Leaders and managers then have to deal with uncertain situations, which generate stress. But stress has the effect of inciting us to stick to our tried and tested habits and thought patterns. And for good reason: perceiving a threat, our brain steers us toward a reaction that is judged to be safe, as a result of being well mastered. However, when the environment is changing, the most appropriate responses are not always those that have previously been successful for us. Thus, under the effect of stress, we tend to cling to our habits at the moment when we would most need to question them.

How can we preserve our ability to take a step back and be creative, even when everything pushes us toward a form of conformism? Being conscious of this challenge is a start, but is not enough: when emotions are strong, reflexes take the upper hand. Happily, it is possible to train ourselves to adopt counter-reflexes, which enable us to regain control over what our emotions dictate. We can also arm ourselves with techniques that limit the magnitude of stress, so as to regain our full capacity for reflection. But a more refined vision of the mechanisms of stress also invites us to work in greater depth. Indeed, stress results from a perception of threat, based on the interpretation of our environment. By providing ourselves with the means to evolve our vision of situations, we give ourselves a powerful lever to reduce our stress, and thus to preserve our lucidity in periods of turbulence.

In this synopsis:
– Fighting the reflexes that limit our ability to adapt
– Working on our mindset to better decide under pressure
– A few meditation techniques to release stress