The stress of the business manager: characteristics and how to manage it.

Several keys to understand where stress arises in managers, and to know what to do.

As you move up the organizational chart, it is more common to find positions of responsibility that, beyond the hours spent working, must also adapt to all kinds of changing situations.

The power of having more things to decide is a double-edged sword: it gives more room for maneuver, but at the same time, it can trigger a lot of stress. This is precisely what I will discuss in this article: stress management by company managers..

Sources of stress in the day-to-day life of a business manager

It is evident that there is a great variability in the tasks carried out by company managers; however, in general terms it is possible to identify several common sources of stress in the day-to-day lives of these senior managers.. Let's see which are the most important ones.

1. Changes in the economic sector in which the organization operates

The major changes that occur from time to time in the economic sphere make facing high levels of uncertainty an intrinsic characteristic of a manager's job. The responsibility of steering the helm when navigating this to-and-fro of difficult-to-interpret information falls largely on CEOs, department heads, etc.

Moreover, as the economy becomes increasingly dependent on what happens in the digital world and in the financial markets, it has come to the point that major economic paradigm shifts can literally come in a couple of days.. And in the face of uncertainty, it is easy for anxiety and stress to flare up.

2. Bad delegation habits

Poor time management and mistrust (in turn, enhanced by stress and anxiety generated by work) are two of the most important ingredients that lead managers to adopt the wrong way of delegating tasks to their subordinates. In this way a vicious circle of stress is set in motion..

3. Lack of separation between personal and professional life

Among managers, the problem of not knowing how to "disengage" their attention from their work is very common.

Today, with the preponderance of laptops, Wi-Fi and smartphones, it is even more difficult to resist the temptation to use free time for work. the temptation to use free time to get ahead on work or to do extra supervision..

Of course, in the medium and long term this wears down psychologically if not done in moderation, by producing fatigue or even insomnia problems. When we feel weak, we are much more prone to stress, since our body starts to "burn" energy less efficiently.

4. Poor communication flows

Lack of information at key moments, mistakes caused by avoidable misunderstandings and even mistrust caused by lack of communication are a source of stress that is constantly active.

5. Conflict management

Wherever there is an organization, there are overlapping interests, as well as clashes of interests. Therefore, it is not unusual for conflicts, the formation of "sides", intrigues... to arise.

Managers are obliged to take a position in these types of conflict scenarios, and to apply measures to resolve them in one direction or another. This produces stress in two ways: through strategic implications (whether a measure has worked or not) and moral implications (whether there is reason to feel guilty or not).

Psychological advice for managers

Here are some recommendations to follow for those who hold a position of great responsibility in a company (CEOs, managers, etc.) in a company (CEOs, middle managers and senior executives in general) who want to develop habits to protect themselves from the negative effects of stress.

1. Learn to accept discomfort

To manage stress and anxiety, it is important not to try to "block" the feelings they produce, since that would mean giving them more power over oneself.

Rather than trying to suppress these feelings in one's own consciousness, it is better to accept that they exist, and at the same time not to give them more power over oneself.and at the same time not to give them more importance than they have in the here and now, focusing the attention towards more stimulating aspects. Psychological resources such as Mindfulness exercises help to achieve this.

2. Create clear schedules in your personal life

Many managers live their personal life basically as a context in which to rest when work permits.

This leads to a certain disorganizationThe fact that company bosses and senior managers in general take time away from their leisure time to dedicate it to their profession is due, among other things, to the fact that their day-to-day life outside the office lacks structure, making it very tempting to dedicate time to the computer.

Against this, it is usually positive to establish a schedule with leisure and rest activities to be done outside working hours.

3. Assume that communication does not equate to wasted time

In the corporate world, there are frequent complaints about meetings that are considered "useless", held only to comply with protocols that only make sense on paper. In reaction to this, some senior managers fall into the trap of associating communication moments with purely protocol events, i.e. image events.This is a mistake.

If a meeting dynamic does not make sense, the solution is to make the necessary changes to it; similarly, we must not forget the fact that in many cases the most valuable exchanges of information take place spontaneously, in informal communication.

It is advisable to to ensure that information flows do not run up against barriers before they reach the company's decision-making centers. This avoids many frustrations.

4. Create comfortable work spaces

Stress is a highly contagious psychological phenomenon; wherever there are stressed people, there is a nucleus of bad working environment that spreads through bad moods, tendency to irritability, avoidance of facing problems, etc. Sometimes it is the people that are at fault, but in many other cases it is the way in which they relate and coordinate, or directly the physical space in which their work takes place that is at fault. the physical space in which their work takes place..

Looking for professional assistance?

If you occupy a position of high responsibility in an organization and you find it difficult to manage stress in your professional life, I invite you to get in touch with me, I invite you to contact me.

I am a psychologist with many years of experience in supporting individuals and companies and I base my work on the cognitive-behavioral model, one of the most effective and adaptable. Throughout a process of psychotherapy and coaching I help people to gain autonomy in modulating emotions and to deal efficiently with sources of anxiety and stress, among other goals. You can see more information about my face-to-face and online services on this page.

Bibliographic references:

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• Freudenberger, H.J. (1974). "Staff burnout". Journal of Social Issues. 30: 159–165.
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• Hüther, Gerald (2012). Biología del miedo. El estrés y los sentimientos. Barcelona: Plataforma Editorial.
• Schonfeld, I.S.; Verkuilen, J.; Bianchi, R. (2019). Inquiry into the correlation between burnout and depression. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 24(6): pp. 603 - 616.