You can't hide it even if you think you can

I’m talking about stress.?

We all experience it at times. And it’s often amplified in the role of CEO or Executive Leader as you take on a great deal of complexity, challenge and responsibility.

You know it’s important to have ways to deal with stress so you can be your best self and lead others to do the same.

But you probably don’t realise that no matter how well you think you cope and hide it, your stress is absorbed by others.

Literally absorbed it turns out.

And this has crucial implications for leaders like you.

My mind was blown listening to Dr Tara Swart, Neuroscientist talking to Steven Bartlett on his The Diary of a CEO Podcast recently.

Dr Swart said, ‘Your stress levels as a leader, as a CEO are going to have more impact on everybody else than the rest of your people put together’.

And she spoke of the many CEOs and C-suite leaders who have told her that their stress doesn’t impact their people because they ‘don’t show it’, ‘don’t share what’s happening’ or ‘don’t display emotions’.

But Dr Swart blew these coping theories out of the water and urged that leaders ‘really need to do something about it’.?

Because there’s an invisible physiological impact of stress on the people around you.

Did you know?? The stress hormone, cortisol leaks out of the skin and can be absorbed by those in close physical proximity to you, say for instance your team who share the workplace for hours a day and week.

For many of the CEOs and C-suite leaders I coach, there’s awareness of how they tend to deal with stress. And when we use Hogan Personality Profiling to support development for enhanced performance, we draw on insights to a leader’s Adjustment scale.

Adjustment is defined as the degree to which others perceive a person as being resilient under pressure and stress. No matter where a leader sits on the Adjustment scale, there are strengths and potential limitations for their impact on others, which informs how they become more deliberate in their leadership.

But Dr Swart’s revelation sheds new light on how you need to be thinking about stress and your leadership.

Cortisol levels increase as your stress response kicks in – so first priority is to reduce stress.? Easier said than done, I hear you say?!?

Well even if some causes of your stress are outside your control, what you can control is how you reduce it.

So here are my key takeaways to help you do just that, drawing on Dr Swart’s expertise and the Success Code? I use with my clients to equip them for more deliberate leadership – first of self, then others.

• KNOW: Understand what your stress triggers are and how it manifests – Dr Swart flagged sleep disruption, increased body fat around the waist, gut symptoms, dehydration, irritability and mood changes.
• FLOW: The key to reducing stress is to get rid of excess cortisol – physical exercise sweats it out, so find what works for you.
• GROW: You can also rid yourself of cortisol by talking or writing it out – whether that be with a friend, colleague, trusted partner or coach.? When you do, it’s an opportunity to learn from your stress, how you’ve managed it and what the impact has been on you and others.

No-one is immune to stress, but if you want to make a positive impact through your leadership, the key is to be deliberate about it.? These three strategies will help you make a purposeful start.

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?I'm Louise Gibson from With Verve .

?I help purpose-led CEOs, Executive leaders and owners of small to medium size organisations to cut through the noise and build momentum - to realise their potential as leaders, and to inspire, enable and mobilise their teams for optimum performance and impact.?

When you’re ready, here are a few ways I can help you right now:

1. For fresh perspective on all things leadership, connect with me here on LinkedIn.

2. Book a free Discovery Call?– this 30 minute call is just right if you’d like to move from feeling lonely, overwhelmed or stuck in your leadership (or all of the above) to feeling supported, clear on your direction and all fired up to lead your team for impact – book here.

3.?Let me be your Strategic Sounding Board?for a day (or half a day, it’s up to you) – you’ll have my undivided attention, creating the space and facilitating the reflection and planning you need to walk away with a roadmap of actionable steps to build momentum through and with your people – book a time here?to make this happen.

4. Engage me to provide Executive Coaching, Build Team Momentum?or to speak at your next leadership event – click here?to find a time for us to connect and discuss what's possible.

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