While stress can be a good thing – we all need a bit of stress to motivate us – it can have a detrimental effect if not managed. It is why learning how to recognise and manage stress is so important – something I believe is a life-long learning process but that’s a different point for a different day.

Stress behaviours don’t just impact the individual, they can disrupt whole teams, and one example is someone who manages their stress through control. This might manifest itself in displays of excessive oversight, difficulty delegating tasks, and irritability. The individual might get involved in things that are not within their remit as they try to grab something that will help ground them.

If the individual is senior or an influencer within your workplace, there is a risk to the reputation of others as they may indicate their control is required because of the inability of others to perform. This is not a bad person – far from it – it’s a natural human behaviour – however by ignoring it, it becomes a habit, a way of working, which becomes bad.

The stressed individual will just continue to regain a sense of order by tightening their grip on tasks and people around them. Even when there is no need to do so – they will just be in that permanent state of stress.

This can lead to a toxic work environment, reducing creativity and lack of decision-making of others who are on the receiving end of the individual's controlling behaviours, and ultimately resulting in failed execution of business plans.

It’s why, back to my original point, that self-awareness of stress factors and behaviours is an important life skill. It’s not just for Stress Awareness Month, it’s something we should embed into our everyday business operations.

It’s not about a wellbeing day and free massages as nice as these are, it’s about your systems and processes, it’s about open and honest communication, humility, and empathy. Recognise stress and its manifestations, manage it effectively, turn it into your unique value proposition, and build a supportive network to create a healthier work environment.

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain

With a healthier work environment, you can unlock growth…

Assess your stress levels and management strategies and seek support if you find yourself, or you are worried about someone else exerting control as a coping mechanism. Get in touch if you want to know more with 30 years corporate experience, working at C-Suite level and managing complex communication needs for global businesses - I understand and can help.