1. Chapter 2: Managing Personal Stress
How can you control your own stress, and the stress of your employees?

2. Managing Stress: Objectives
Eliminate stressors
Develop resiliency
Cope temporarily with stress

3. Stress Reduces national economy by $500 billion
Leaves almost half of all adults with health problems
Causes between 60 and 80 percent of industrial accidents
In workplace, is primarily caused by incompetent management

4. Managers Who Experience Stress...
selectively perceive information
fixate on a single approach to a problem
overestimate how fast time passes
adopt a crisis mentality
consult and listen to others less
rely on old habits
are less able to generate creative thoughts

5. Stress as a Force Field Driving Force A Restraining Force A
Current Level
of Functioning
Driving Force A
Driving Force B
Driving Force C
Driving Force D
Restraining Force A
Restraining Force B
Restraining Force C
Restraining Force D

6. Reactions to Stress Alarm – increase in anxiety, fear, sorrow or loss
Resistance – attempt to control stress using defense mechanisms
Exhaustion – stop trying to defend against stress. Stress related pathology occurs in this stage

7. Stress Defense Mechanisms
Aggression – attack stressor directly
Regression – use behavior that was successful at an earlier time
Repression – deny that stress exists
Withdrawal – leave stressful situation
Fixation – persist in response regardless of effectiveness

8. Experiencing Stress STRESSORS Anticipatory Encounter REACTIONS Time
Situational
REACTIONS
Physiological
Psychological
RESILIENCY
Physical
Psychological
Social

9. Types of Stressors Time Stressors Work overload Lack of control
Encounter Stressors
Role conflicts
Issue conflicts
Action conflicts

10. Types of Stressors Situational Stressors
Unfavorable working conditions
Rapid change
Anticipatory Stressors
Unpleasant expectations
Fear

11. Consequences of Stress
Physiological
Immune response
Coronary disease
Viral infection
Psychological
Burnout

12. Percent of EE’s reporting burnout
Some Causes of Burnout
Employees free to talk to each other
Personal conflicts on job
Mgmt unsupportive of employees
Sick and vacation benefits
20% %
Percent of EE’s reporting burnout

13. Stress as a Person/ Situation Interaction
Assumption: Events trigger stress, but people respond to stress differently
Resiliency factors moderate stress
Without Resiliency
Reaction
Stressors
With Resiliency
No Reaction

14. Resiliency Factors
Physical: cardiovascular health, dietary control, rest
Psychological: emotionality, self-esteem, hardiness
Social: close emotional ties, common experiences, supportive interactions, mentors, teams

15. Managing Stress Enactive Strategies Proactive Strategies
Reactive Strategies
Purpose
Eliminate stressors
Develop resiliency
Temporary coping
Effects
Permanent
Long term
Short term
Approach
Enactive
Proactive
Reactive
Time Required
Long
Moderate
Immediate

16. Eliminating Stressors
Type of Stressor
Elimination Strategy
Time
Effective time management.
Efficient time management.
Delegating
Encounter
Collaboration and team building
Emotional intelligence
Situational
Work redesign
Anticipatory
Goal setting
Small wins

17. Managing Time Effectively
Spend time on important, not urgent, matters
Identify what you feel is important vs. what you feel is urgent
Focus on results, not methods
Don’t feel guilty for saying “no”

18. Types of Activities That Determine Time Use
URGENCY
HIGH LOW 1
Crises
Customer
Complaints 3
Developmental
Opportunities
Innovating
Planning
HIGH
LOW
IMPORTANCE 2
Mail
Ringing Telephone
Unscheduled
Interruptions 4
Escapes
Routines
Arguments

19. Personal Principles for Time Use
Ask yourself:
What do I stand for?
What do I care passionately about?
What do I want to be remembered for?
What do I want to have accomplished 20 years from now?
What principles do I want everyone in the world to follow?

20. Managing Time Efficiently – 20 Rules for Everyone
Read selectively
Make a list of things to accomplish
Have a place for everything
Prioritize your tasks
Do several trivial things simultaneously
List five 10-minute tasks
Divide up large projects
Determine critical 20 percent of tasks
Save best time for important matters
Limit others’ access to you
Don’t procrastinate
Keep track of time
Set deadlines
Do something productive while waiting
Do busy work at one set time
Reach closure on one thing per day
Schedule some personal time
Don’t worry on continuing basis
Write down long-term goals
Be alert for ways to improve your time management

21. Managing Time Efficiently – 20 Rules for Managers
Hold routine meetings at end of day
Hold short meetings standing up
Set a time limit
Cancel meetings sometimes
Have agendas, stick to them, and keep track of time
Start meetings on time
Prepare meeting minutes and follow up
Insist that subordinates suggest solutions to problems
Meet visitors in doorway
Go to subordinates’ offices
Don’t overschedule your day
Have someone else answer phone and
Have a place to work uninterrupted
Do something with each piece of paper
Keep workplace clean
Delegate work, identify amount of initiative granted, and give others credit for their success

22. Collaboration Maintain an “emotional bank account”
Make deposits by treating people with kindness, courtesy, honesty and consistency
Minimize withdrawals made by not keeping promises, not listening, not clarifying expectations, or not allowing choice

23. Emotional Intelligence
Emotionally intelligent people can:
recognize their own emotions
manage their own emotions
regulate emotionally influenced behavior (delay gratification)
empathize with the emotions of others
manage the emotions of others

24. Work Redesign Lack of freedom is most important contributor to stress
Use job redesign model to reduce stress
combine tasks
form identifiable work units
establish customer relationships
increase decision-making authority
open feedback channels

25. Eliminating Anticipatory Stressors through Goal Setting
1. Establish a Goal
2. Specify Actions and Behavioral Requirements
4. Identify Criteria of Success and a Reward
3. Generate Accountability and Reporting Mechanisms

26. Small Wins Strategy Identify something under your control
Change it in a way that leads toward desired goal
Find another small thing to change and change it
Keep track of changes made
Maintain the small gains made through change

27. Developing Resiliency
Some stressors will not go away
Resiliency increases capacity to withstand negative effects of stress

28. Balance Life Activities

29. Increase Cardiovascular Conditioning
MOVE! Exercise:
Lowers blood pressure
Increases heart efficiency
Lowers triglyceride levels
Lowers cholesterol
Increases energy
Reduces anxiety and depression

30. Take Control of Your Diet
Eat a variety of foods
Maintain optimal weight
Reduce fat intake
Eat more whole foods
Reduce sugar intake
Reduce sodium intake
Avoid alcohol and caffeine

31. Improve Hardiness Take control of your life
Do something that you can be committed to and involved in
Feel challenged by change, not paralyzed

32. Moderate Type A Personality Syndrome
Type A people:
have a chronic, combative struggle with the social and physical environment
are aggressive, hostile, impatient
are subject to time demands, self-imposed pressure
eat fast, walk fast, talk fast!

33. To Moderate Type A Behavior
Focus on small wins
Use deep-relaxation strategies
meditation
yoga
self-hypnosis
biofeedback

34. Increase Social Resiliency
Maintain friendships and family relations
Find and use a mentor
must be two-way relationship
Work in teams
involve others in defining challenges
encourage participation
share resources broadly
focus on team, rather than individual, rewards

35. Temporary Stress Reduction
Muscle relaxation
Deep breathing
Visualization - Imagery and fantasy
Rehearsal
Reframing

36. Managing Your Own Stress
Enactive, proactive and reactive strategies
Recognize and observe your own stress reactions (e.g., irritability, muscle tightness, fatigue, sleep disorder, distractibility, confusion, etc.
Learn to surf...reframe perceptions

37. Managing Your Own Stress
Build time management skills
Regularly revisit goals and priorities, beware of reactivity
Learn to delegate. Trust and share your work with others
Communicate and participate with colleagues and employees
Find reason and time to laugh

38. Managing Others’ Stress...
attend to your own stress
mentor and monitor time management: set goals with time lines, check in regularly
redesign work: task demand, control, intellectual challenge, clarified responsibilities
set boundaries and expectations: create a healthy organizational culture

39. Managing Others’ Stress...
make time to play, celebrate small and big wins, develop relationships, and relax
don’t sweat the small stuff
communicate and participate