Managing People, Under Pressure

I naturally can’t help but think of Bowie and Queen when I consider being “under pressure” – and what a relevant description for many working people. We are often under pressure whether that pressure is because of a deadline or the amount of work we need to accomplish. 

What has become commonplace in most of Corporate America is high pressure and high stress. It’s no surprise that Americans work long hours, increase revenue goals YOY, and mandate higher work output (in less time). 

But how does being under pressure affect your ability to manage? It won’t take us long to think of an example when we were pressed for time and reacted poorly to a colleague or subordinate in response to the external stress factor. Stressors can leave you with a short fuse, and will inadvertently create an environment where your team may fear your inconsistency in mood. If you are fostering an environment of fear, trust will be hard to come by and collaboration/idea sharing will slow. 

Since KPIs, deadlines, and aggressive goals aren’t going away any time soon, what can you do to balance the pressures of work while also managing well? 

First, a great practice is being able to acknowledge your feelings without judgment. If you need pointers, revisit my post about mindfulness in management. When you observe that you are mad or anxious about something, you will be more likely to communicate your concern and not misplace your angst on a team member. 

Second, answer what is the worst outcome of the situation you are facing. When you work through worst-case circumstances, you are better equipped to deal with them, according to Hendrie Weisinger and J. P. Pawliw-Fry.

Third, and this may be counterintuitive but it’s proven, slow down. We are more likely to make mistakes when we are in a rush, and are most certainly more likely to make a mess both interpersonally and with the task at hand when we are only processing in our emotional brain (thank you amygdala). By pausing, breathing, and engaging our prefrontal cortex (the most developed part of our brain) we will be poised to solve problems, reason soundly, and even be more creative. 

The Four Pillars of Character

Character can be defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. 

When you think about your character, what pillars govern your day-to-day life? If you are a person who manages people, it will serve you well to subscribe to a set of values, which in turn directs your character. 

It may be useful to think about an attribute of a leader whom you revere. Is this something you practice? Self-reflection can give you a reinvigorated purpose to strive to be more like the leader you want to be. 

In addition to using the information you have in front of you to help shape your behavior, and leveraging self-reflection as a tool for continued self-betterment, look also to the four pillars of character, which include: 

1. Trustworthiness

2. Respect

3. Responsibility

4. Fairness

To get you well on your way, refer to the below when aiming to give your character a tune-up.

Trustworthiness is the most complex of the four values in that it includes honesty, integrity, reliability, and loyalty. If you choose to put emphasis on this pillar of character, know that you must be honest. You must also be reliable (do what you say you are going to do) and must not deceive, cheat, or steal. Further, you must have the courage to do the right thing.

Treating people with respect is a surprisingly easy way to not only connect with others but to actively create a trustworthy environment. Remind yourself to be tolerant of differences and be considerate of others. Respect is a noticeable behavior: get caught in the act! 

Responsible people demonstrate self-restraint and exhibit the ability to respond to expectations. While you must persevere to be a responsible person, you must also think before you act. Responsible people must both consider the consequences and be accountable for their choices. 

Fairness implies adherence to a balanced standard of justice. This means you must play by the rules while remaining open-minded. Be sure to not blame others or take advantage. 

It may go without saying, but embracing these pillars of character will poise you to be a more effective manager and in turn, a more ethical person.

Learnings based on the academic findings of the Josephson Institute, 2008.  

Mood Contagion

Did you know that a leader’s mood most influences your company’s bottom-line performance?

It’s the secret sauce most companies are missing. And it’s not hidden information. Year after year I hear CEO horror stories (I also know fantastic CEOs!) and I often seek to understand more about performance as there is often a correlation between how well the company is doing, and what the overall perception is of the CEO.

Not only does a leader’s persona (personality, EQ, stress management, awareness, etc.) tie directly to performance, it drives everyone else’s moods and behaviors. This process is called mood contagion. Mood contagion is the unintentional transfer of feelings to others. Think of the old adage, smiles are contagious.

One might think about this notion through the lens of “emotional leadership.” Meaning, how is a leader leveraging emotional intelligence to engage, communicate, inspire, and problem-solve? The inverse will not only instill fear in team members, but it will also make performance suffer. When individuals are not encouraged to share ideas, innovation and collaboration will take a hit.

As a reader, if you are a CEO, take note. If you are a manager of a team, realize that you also have a great deal of influence and that mood contagion applies to you, too. What tone would you say your team is exhibiting? How can you adjust your behaviors to support your team’s attitude and ultimately, performance?

Hiring the Right Talent

We knew it was bound to happen – the long-discussed exodus: Baby boomers are retiring in waves. They are departing with their expertise, and their multi-decade exposure to (and correcting of) recurring problems. While we can sit and discuss the changing tide of the times – perhaps a reality that does not suit all generations in Corporate America (although not unlike past evolution) – we would be remiss if we thought we were not losing something significant. Those years of experience are not easily replaced. And this is why attracting strong talent, and hiring the right talent, is so vital at this juncture in your corporation. 

I am a firm believer that anyone with discernment and critical thinking can be taught to be excellent at a certain skill or craft. But herein lies an issue that many managers are facing: Team members, whether new or five years into their positions, remain somewhat unskilled, needing consistent training for improvement. Without this training and guidance, your team runs the risk of stagnancy, a decrease in innovation, deadlines missed, and problems going left unsolved. There certainly should be an expectation that managers will need to train and mentor their team members. But, this should not be the entirety of the job. Again, herein lies an opportunity for businesses to be thoughtful about their new hires.

If you’ve never thought about durable skills and perishable skills, now is the time. In a recent Forbes article, this distinction between durable skills and perishable skills is made, mainly to demonstrate how one must aim to retain employees with durable skills. And, it seems logical that a company will benefit from not only retaining employees with durable skills but attracting and hiring those with durable skills. 

What is a durable skill? This is the ability for a person to pair their life knowledge to their work. How can they use their own experiences to thrive in the corporate environment? As I noted, I am a firm believer that if you hire someone with critical thinking (a durable skill) you will be better suited than hiring the person with more years of experience and no ability to deduce thoughtfully.  “Durability” as I will refer to it, also speaks to a person’s ability to communicate well and navigate through challenges with a solution-focused mindset. Even if a person is somewhat unseasoned, they will be poised for success because they will seek out the answers, look to their manager for guidance when necessary, and pride themselves on resiliency and self-sufficiency.

On the flip, perishable skills are specialized. They are specific to an industry or specific organization. The training is in fact done on the job. 

Isn’t the perfect pairing, then, a hire who has durable skills because they can seemingly be taught the perishable skills? Indeed. 

As a manager, how might you help someone learn critical thinking? It is not a quantitative output and this is a struggle managers face. While a manager may be able to train on concepts and specializations (which naturally takes ample time) it is more challenging to teach someone how to communicate effectively, ratiocinate often, and solve problems independently. 

Thus, as we are facing a time of skillful people leaving the workplace, seek new hires with durable skill sets. Keep this front of mind throughout the interview process. 

Questions to consider: 

• How might you measure someone’s critical thinking? 

• How might you assess their ability to communicate? 

• How will you determine their emotion regulation and maturity (EQ)?