Stress is normal for anyone with a lot on their plate. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the right amount of stress, properly managed, can be positive for motivation, focus, and follow-through. Studies show that it can actually improve cognitive function, alertness and memory.
That said, all CEOs also experience the downsides of too much stress at times (or all the time). This is the kind of stress that wakes you up at 3AM with your mind racing a million miles an hour. While sometimes the stressor is obvious to you (e.g., it’s obviously your shrinking runway and the fundraise you have to close in the next three months), other times it can be hidden from view because you’re just juggling so many balls.
In these instances, where it’s less obvious what’s creating peak anxiety and stress for you, we’ve found that it’s often something we’re subconsciously avoiding. For example, we’re putting off a difficult conversation with a co-founder, terminating a key executive, or ignoring an upcoming board meeting where we know we’ll have to share terrible news. Pushing these things to the back of our minds may free us up to work on the task immediately at-hand, but it doesn’t stop us from thinking about them (and stressing about them) continuously in the background.
Leveraging your personal board and talking out loud can help you identify these stressors and create an action plan to address them.
- Schedule time with one of your trusted partners, friends, coaches, mentors, etc. to specifically discuss what’s bothering you. Tell them out loud that you’re feeling overly stressed.
- List each of the items on your plate and explain to them why each one is causing you some stress.
- Ask for feedback, ensuring they sufficiently understand each item and understand why it’s causing you some stress. Tell them to ask you follow up questions about each one to make sure they really understand the various angles of each one.
By simply speaking about your stressors out loud it creates accountability and encourages introspection, allowing you to confront the stressors head-on rather than allowing them to linger in the background. It’s of course easier said than done but this has been an immensely helpful strategy for us during times we’ve felt overwhelmed.
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