Stressed? get control of the situation.

• Author: Nelson, Bob
• Position: Rewarding Employees - Managers who effectively control stress are seen as good managers by employees

In today's times of change and uncertainty, we all need strategies for dealing with stress. One effective strategy is to gain a sense of control over your circumstances. Have you ever noticed that the driver of a car is never the one who gets carsick? Studies about noise have found that people can tolerate noise they can control (a loud television or radio, for example), but are much more stressed by noise that they can't control, such as a neighbor's barking dog or telemarketer phone calls. If you gain control over your circumstances, the situation tends to be less stressful for most of us.

For managers, learning to deal with stress is important because your employees look to you for a sense of how things are going. You are in the best position to assure them that things are going well. Studies show that the best leaders are ones who are positive and confident, especially during tough times and times of change. Even when in a bad mood, a good manager will buffer his feelings and not allow his mood to be an excuse to treat his employees poorly.

I know one manager who pauses before he walks into the building where he works each morning. He thinks about what's on his mind that he might be worrying about. If it's something important, he takes out a piece of paper and writes it down so he doesn't forget it. His objective is to clear his head to be able to focus on being fully present and positive for his people. He knows that when he walks into his department, he is essentially stepping on stage, and the audience he plays to every day are those people who work for him. His energy, how he greets them, his smile and eye contact all go a long way at making them feel energized and excited to be at work. He knows energy is contagious and, what he passes to his employees, they will in turn pass on to co-workers and customers.

Employees, too, need ways to handle the pressures of being expected to do more with less, and to handle the ongoing juggling act of balancing work and family. Some of the best strategies are simple. Employees I've interviewed who were good...