Thanks to Brent Darnell for inspiring this article. He has been a steady mentor and friend.
The end of construction season is upon us in the North and stress is high. It is a race against the freeze to get a lot of work completed.
Material costs are up and margins seem to get smaller and smaller. Groceries and gas prices dipped for a moment but are still very high.
Also, the election just ended: there were a lot of surprises at local and national levels–some of us are very unhappy, some are elated.
There are a lot of reasons to feel the stress. In your back, in your neck, in your joints and in all of your relationships.
When stress heats up, our blood pressure goes up. And when that happens we all tend to revert to our worst selves. Whatever you do when you are not at your best, becomes more likely when you are under pressure. Do you get quieter? Do you tend to get louder? Do you blame others? How do you express your stress?
Weaknesses get amplified when the pressure increases. It is simple emotional physics.
The supervisor who was less than pleasant is now barking orders and making people feel small. The new worker who was a bit quiet is now radio silent. The City Council, or the Leadership Team, which was a bit unhappy with your work is now getting louder and pointing fingers at you.
The average leader succumbs to the pressure. As a result, quality work, safety and morale are negatively impacted. The best leaders find a way to manage their stress and not transfer their anxiety onto others or onto business results.
And the best work cultures anticipate the high-stress seasons and make plans to support their leaders.
It is more than breathing, although deep breathing is still one of the best (unused) tools in the leadership shed. You need to be organizationally strategic about the key moments. You need to have your best plays ready at the end of a tight game, when you are inside the 20-yard line of the opposing team. When your people are tired, cranky and want to give up. That is when they need to know you have their backs. They might need a time out; they might need a “Win one for the Gipper” speech. They might need an empathetically driven kick in the butt.
And it is not always easy to know what to do when, and how to influence your culture.
Leadership is hard. Communication is hard. It is lonely at the top and it is equally stressful for those moving up towards the top.
That is why we are gathering leaders and offering the best people-tools in the market to help them lead better under stress. How to have the conscious conversation that ends well. How to garner quality feedback, even from lower ranked workers who might not fully trust you. How to handle digital communication like a pro.
There are two opportunities you can apply for:
Our brand-new Mastermind Group starts November 17 and meets online every week. [Click this link to learn more and register]
A quick heads-up for 2027. A new Public Works Leadership Group will start in January and meet monthly. We’ll share more details in our next newsletter.
Thanks for taking the time to read. Please reach out before the pressure gets too intense.