The Hidden Leadership Skill: Mastering Stress Management
It all begins with an idea.
Stress is the silent killer of leadership and team performance. Yet, it remains one of the most overlooked aspects of leadership development. When leaders struggle to manage stress, the impact ripples through their teams, creating a work environment that is reactive, tense and ultimately, ineffective.
Most leadership programs focus on things like strategy, communication and performance metrics. While these are essential, they fail to address one of the biggest barriers to effective leadership - the inability to regulate stress. Without stress resilience, even the most skilled leaders can crumble under pressure and when leaders struggle, their teams follow.
Note: While this article focuses on the impact of stress on leadership specifically, it is important to mention the long-term physical and emotional harm that can happen when an individual experiences prolonged stress so businesses should be ensuring they have strategies in place to recognise and intervene when work related stress is creeping in from a duty of care point of view. Chronic stress leads to burnout, anxiety, depression and even serious health issues like hypertension and heart disease. Over time, it wears down both the mind and body, diminishing overall well-being and quality of life.
The Real Impact of Stress on Leaders and Teams
When a leader is stressed, it doesn’t just affect them, it affects everyone around them. Stress changes the way we think, communicate and make decisions. Over time, it chips away at morale, trust and performance.
In real terms, stress looks like:
Micromanagement – Leaders who don’t trust their team’s abilities because stress makes them feel out of control.
Avoidance of difficult conversations – Letting small issues fester and escalate into major problems.
Emotional exhaustion – Short tempers, poor judgment and a lack of patience with employees.
Anxiety-driven decision-making – Reacting instead of strategising, leading to inconsistent leadership.
A team on edge – Employees walking on eggshells, afraid to make mistakes or speak up.
Stress in leadership is about psychological safety and resilience. Teams thrive when they feel secure, valued and supported. A stressed out leader unknowingly erodes that safety, making it harder for employees to take initiative, innovate or perform at their best.
Why Most Leadership Training Fails to Address Stress Management
Most corporate leadership programs and management training don’t teach nervous system regulation or how to manage individual stress not because it’s unimportant, but because most leadership and business coaches don’t fully understand it themselves.
Stress management isn’t about “self-care” or surface-level tactics, like deep breathing exercises, although those practices are very helpful part of the overall picture. It’s about developing resilience, learning to regulate emotions under pressure and knowledge such as understanding how stress affects decision-making, communication and leadership effectiveness.
A leader’s ability to regulate stress determines their ability to:
Make sound decisions under pressure
Create a psychologically safe environment for their team
Manage conflict with clarity and confidence
Inspire and motivate without emotional reactivity
The Reality: Stress Is Inevitable, But It Can Be Managed
It would be ideal to eliminate stress altogether, but that’s impossible. Instead, leaders must learn how to manage stress effectively. Plus, not all stress is bad! Good stress (eustress) can drive motivation, innovation and performance when managed properly. The key is balancing stress so it fuels growth rather than leading to burnout.
How Companies Can Incorporate Stress Management into Leadership Development
Organisations that recognise the importance of stress management will be leaps and bounds ahead of those that don’t. Companies can take proactive steps by:
Encouraging open conversations about stress and mental well-being in the workplace.
How stress impacts an individual is personal and different so 1:1 leadership coaching can target support.
Teaching nervous system regulation techniques to help leaders stay composed under pressure.
Fostering a culture of psychological safety, where leaders and teams feel supported rather than overwhelmed.
Integrating stress resilience training into leadership development programs.
The Competitive Edge: Leaders Who Can Manage Stress Lead Better Teams
Stress management is the missing link between good leadership and great leadership. Companies that prioritise stress resilience in leadership development will:
Reduce turnover by fostering healthier, more engaged teams.
Strengthen team performance through emotional intelligence and psychological safety.
Build a sustainable leadership pipeline by preventing burnout before it starts.
Improve the bottom line by ensuring leaders make strategic, rather than reactive, decisions.
It’s time to recognise stress management as a core leadership skill, not an afterthought. It’s about the ability to stay composed, clear-headed and effective in high-pressure environments. Resilient leaders create resilient teams. Without it, the whole system suffers.
Leading Through the Holidays: Supporting Employees and Understanding the Nervous System
It all begins with an idea.
The Christmas and New Year period is often seen as a time of celebration, but for many employees, it’s one of heightened stress. As leaders and managers, recognising and addressing this stress is crucial—not only for the well-being of your team but also for fostering a positive and productive workplace culture.
In this article, we’ll explore why stress peaks during this season, how it manifests in employees and what you can do as a leader to help. We'll also dive into the fascinating world of the nervous system and how understanding it can be a game-changer for managing stress, both for your team and yourself.
Why Employees Feel More Stressed
Increased workloads: Many businesses face end-of-year deadlines, last-minute projects, and annual performance reviews. This rush can leave employees feeling overwhelmed.
Financial strain: The cost of holiday celebrations and gift-giving can create additional financial pressures.
Personal commitments: Balancing work with family events, travel, and holiday preparations adds to the load.
Emotional triggers: The holidays can bring up feelings of loss, loneliness, or unmet expectations, particularly for those with challenging family dynamics or who are grieving.
Post holiday pressure: Anxiety about returning to work after the break can linger, especially if tasks and goals feel unclear or daunting.
Recognising stress in your team
Stress can show up in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Be on the lookout for:
Increased Irritability
Interpersonal conflicts
Missed deadlines or decreased productivity
Increased absenteeism or sick leave
Emotional withdrawal or outbursts
Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness
Decreased engagement
Supporting your team
Communicate openly: Check in with your team individually to create a safe space for sharing challenges. Listening with empathy can make a world of difference.
Prioritise and delegate: Review workloads and adjust deadlines where possible. Help your team focus on essential tasks to reduce overwhelm. Ensure your team understands priorities and feels supported in meeting them.
Encourage time off and rest: Model healthy work-life boundaries and encourage employees to take breaks and use their leave entitlements.
Create opportunities for connection: Host simple, inclusive team-building activities, like a gratitude wall or a festive morning tea.
Provide resources: Share mental health resources and normalise conversations about seeking support.
Recognise and appreciate: Take time to acknowledge your team’s hard work throughout the year. A heartfelt “thank you” can go a long way.
The Nervous System: The key to understanding and managing stress
The nervous system is a complex network of neurons and cells that controls everything from sensory perception to emotional responses. It operates through two key branches:
Sympathetic Nervous System: Governs the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response to real or perceived threats.
Parasympathetic Nervous System: Helps the body rest, digest, and recover, creating a sense of calm.
Together, these systems work to keep us safe and respond to our environment, often operating subconsciously. Understanding and nurturing your nervous system can significantly impact how you handle stress. Like all systems, to run smoothly and efficiently it needs regular monitoring, management and maintenance.
Practical Nervous System Regulation
When stress peaks:
Grounding techniques: Shift anxiety into your legs by visualising strength and stability in your body.
Close your eyes and imagine 3 points under your feet, creating a triangle. Slight knee bend and really focus on shifting you weight evenly between the 3 points of each foot. Focus on this for a few minutes.
Feet in a wide stance and bend knees, almost in a squat position. Hands on knees with back straight. Think about how strong your legs are and imagine pushing your anxiety and stress down your body and into your legs.
Breathing techniques:
Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold for 4.
Extended Exhale: Breathe in for 4 counts and out for 6 to activate the parasympathetic system.
Vagus Nerve massage:
Gently massage your throat while tilting your head back and opening/closing your mouth.
For regular maintenance:
Engage in calming activities such as Yin, Qigong, meditation, or gentle nature walks.
Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
Schedule time for hobbies or restful activities like soaking in a warm bath.
Gentle forms of massage such as Kahuna and Lomi Lomi
Leading by Example
Don’t forget: leaders are not immune to holiday stress, leadership during this period can also be taxing! By prioritising your own well-being, you model resilience for your team. To show up for your team, it is essential you look after yourself.
Set boundaries around your availability.
Delegate tasks to trusted team members.
Reflect on the year with gratitude to centre yourself and shift focus to the positive.
As we navigate the holidays, remember that supporting your team goes beyond managing workloads—it’s about understanding the human experience. By addressing stress, fostering connection and promoting nervous system health, you can help your team enter the new year feeling balanced and empowered.
Sarah-Jayne McNaughton
Founder, Power Peace Prosper and Ascendancy Executive Services
Providing personal and professional development is essential for building high functioning teams
It all begins with an idea.
In today's fast-paced business world, the strength of an organisation lies not only in its strategic plans or advanced technologies but in its people. High-functioning teams are the lifeblood of any successful organisation, directly contributing to both profitability and long-term sustainability. But what makes a team function at a high level? The answer often starts with the individuals that make up the team—more specifically, their personal and professional development.
The Importance of Individual Development
The maturity, emotional intelligence and personal growth of each team member are the building blocks for a cohesive and effective team. A team can only function as well as the people within it. When individuals are personally and professionally developed, they are more self-aware, emotionally regulated and motivated. These qualities are critical for collaboration, communication and problem-solving—all pillars of a high-performing team.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in this context. Team members who have a high degree of EI are better equipped to handle stress, navigate interpersonal conflicts and empathise with their colleagues. This, in turn, reduces friction and improves teamwork. People with a strong sense of self-awareness and emotional control bring stability to the group, creating an environment where collaboration thrives.
Moreover, individuals with a growth mindset and continuous learning habits contribute innovative ideas and adapt quickly to changes, leading to greater agility within the team. Professional development programs that enhance leadership skills, time management and critical thinking empower employees to take initiative and contribute meaningfully, fostering a more dynamic and engaged team culture.
The Ripple Effect on Team Functionality
When we invest in individuals personal and professional growth, the benefits ripple outward, affecting the entire team.
Improved Communication
Personal development often involves improving communication skills, which are vital in any team. Team members who can clearly articulate their thoughts and actively listen to others prevent misunderstandings and misalignment, leading to smoother collaboration.
Increased Trust and Psychological Safety
High-functioning teams are built on trust. Individuals who have worked on their emotional intelligence and maturity are better at building trust within the team by showing consistency, empathy and reliability. This creates a psychologically safe space where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, providing feedback and admitting mistakes without fear of judgment.
Enhanced Problem-Solving Abilities
When individuals grow professionally, they bring new skills and perspectives to the table. This diversity of thought is invaluable in tackling complex challenges, as it allows the team to approach problems from various angles. A well-developed team member can also act as a mentor, helping others improve their problem-solving skills, thus elevating the team’s overall capacity.
Better Conflict Resolution
In any team, conflicts are inevitable. But personal maturity and emotional intelligence allow individuals to handle disagreements constructively rather than letting them fester or escalate. Mature team members can diffuse tense situations, keep discussions productive and ensure that conflicts lead to growth rather than division.
High-Functioning Teams Drive Organisational Success
The positive outcomes of personal and professional development feed directly into the success of the organisation. A high-functioning team is not just more pleasant to work in—it is also more efficient, creative and aligned with the organisations goals.
Higher Productivity
Teams that communicate well, trust each other and can resolve conflicts efficiently are naturally more productive. They spend less time dealing with internal issues and more time focused on achieving goals. This enhanced productivity translates directly into profitability, as projects are completed more quickly and with higher quality.
Innovation and Agility
High-functioning teams are more likely to innovate because they create a safe space for creativity and experimentation. Organisations that foster such teams can adapt more quickly to market changes and capitalise on new opportunities, giving them a competitive edge.
Employee Retention and Satisfaction
Employees who are part of high-functioning teams are more likely to feel fulfilled and valued in their roles, leading to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover. Given the high costs associated with recruiting and training new talent, retaining top performers is a significant advantage for any organisation.
Stronger Leadership Pipeline
When individuals within teams are committed to personal and professional growth, they naturally become better leaders. This creates a robust leadership pipeline for the organisation, ensuring that the next generation of leaders is well-prepared to take the organisation forward.
For organisations aiming to build high-functioning teams, investing in the personal and professional development of each team member should be a priority. Organisations that neglect the individual growth of their employees may find themselves with teams that are misaligned, stagnant and unproductive. A high-functioning team is only as strong as the individuals who comprise it. Personal and professional development are key to ensuring that each team member contributes their best, creating a synergistic environment where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Organisations that understand this dynamic can foster teams that not only achieve success but also drive long-term profitability and sustainable growth.
The Power of Emotional Intelligence in High-Performing Teams: Driving Business Success
It all begins with an idea.
In today's competitive business landscape, high-performing teams are crucial to achieving overall business success and ultimately impacting the bottom line. The effectiveness of these teams hinges significantly on the emotional maturity and intelligence of the individuals within them. This article explores the profound influence of emotional intelligence on team dynamics, the importance of team cohesion and how personal development of team members leads to thriving, productive and profitable teams.
The Link Between Effective Teams and Profitability
Research consistently demonstrates the connection between effective teams and organisational profitability. A study by Google’s Project Aristotle highlighted that psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning and impact are critical to high team performance. These elements are deeply rooted in the emotional intelligence of team members. Teams that exhibit high emotional intelligence are better equipped to navigate complex challenges, foster innovation and maintain high productivity levels.
Moreover, a report by Gallup found that highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability. Engagement is closely tied to the emotional well being of employees, which underscores the importance of emotional maturity and intelligence. When team members are emotionally intelligent, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated and aligned with the organisational goals.
The Role of Team Cohesion
Team cohesion is the glue that holds a team together and drives collective performance. Emotionally mature individuals contribute significantly to building this cohesion through effective communication, conflict resolution and empathy. When team members communicate effectively, they reduce misunderstandings and foster a collaborative environment. This collaboration leads to better decision making and problem solving, which are essential for high performance.
Conflicts are inevitable in any team, but emotionally intelligent members handle them constructively. Instead of allowing conflicts to fester and disrupt productivity, they address issues calmly and work towards mutually beneficial solutions. This ability to manage conflicts enhances team cohesion and maintains a positive work environment.
Empathy is another critical component of emotional intelligence that strengthens team cohesion. When team members show empathy towards each other, they build trust and support, creating a sense of belonging and unity. This supportive environment boosts morale and encourages team members to contribute their best efforts.
Personal Development and Its Impact on Team Performance
The personal development of individual team members is vital for the overall success of the team. Organisations that invest in the emotional and professional growth of their employees reap significant benefits. Training and coaching programs focused on emotional intelligence, leadership skills and stress management equip individuals with the tools they need to perform effectively in a team setting.
Personal development fosters self awareness, enabling team members to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This awareness allows them to leverage their strengths and work on areas that need improvement, ultimately enhancing their contribution to the team. Furthermore, personal development initiatives that promote continuous learning and growth create a culture of excellence and high performance.
The Impact on Morale and Team Effectiveness
High morale is a key driver of team effectiveness. When team members feel valued, supported and recognised, they are more likely to be engaged and productive. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in boosting morale. Leaders and team members who exhibit high emotional intelligence create a positive work environment where employees feel appreciated and motivated.
Studies have shown that teams with high morale are more resilient and better equipped to handle stress and adversity. This resilience translates into sustained high performance and a competitive edge in the market. Additionally, high morale reduces turnover rates saving organisations the costs associated with recruitment and training.
Traditional Training vs. Coaching Approaches
While traditional team and leadership training programs often focus on technical skills and theoretical knowledge, they can fall short in addressing the emotional and interpersonal dynamics that are crucial for team effectiveness. Integrating a coaching approach that emphasises emotional intelligence and personal development can bridge this gap. Coaching helps individuals gain self-awareness, improve their emotional regulation and enhance their interpersonal skills. By combining traditional training with coaching, organisations can create a more holistic development program that not only enhances technical competencies but also fosters the emotional and social skills necessary for high performing teams.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the emotional maturity and intelligence of individuals within a team are critical to building high performing teams that drive business success. Effective teams, characterised by strong cohesion and the continuous personal development of their members, significantly impact profitability and overall organisational performance. By investing in the emotional intelligence of employees and fostering a culture of continuous growth, organisations can create thriving, productive and profitable teams that contribute to long term success.
Investing in emotional intelligence and personal development is not just about creating a better workplace; it is about driving business success and achieving a competitive edge. High performing teams are the cornerstone of a thriving organisation, and their impact on the bottom line is undeniable.