One of the most challenging parts to being a leader is responding to pressure. There are many different forms of pressure such as:

Given that there are so many different pressure dimensions, each with differing amounts and moving at different times, the challenge for leaders is to recognise pressure and find outlets to relieve this.

Most leaders I know engage in activities that are good distractions such as running, swimming, yoga or meditation. A few tend to take up more extreme variants such as taking part in ultra marathons or iron(wo)men competitions, etc. What I find fascinating is that a lot of these events typically involve some physical exertion (good for blood circulation and endorphins), have a repeated schedule (low effort when an activity is part of a routine/habit) and it’s a very extremely different context that refocuses the brain away from the topics you’ll face at work.

Of course, there are also the less healthy or more dangerous outlets which some leaders respond to with pressure which I can’t recommend. I’m sure you can imagine a few… 🤔

You can’t know which pressure and how much you’ll face in the future, but it’s important to have established your (healthier) responses and routines when the pressure increases.

Your challenge for this week is to reflect on your default outlets for pressure. Do you have any? Are they sustainable/low-effort to join? What different (and maybe healthier) responses could you try? Talk to some colleagues and find out how they handle pressure and maybe you’ll be inspired to try something new too 🎉.

Enjoy this week’s newsletter, and please pass it on to a friend or colleague who might benefit.

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