Handling Pressure
May 11, 2008
Handling Pressure
By Gene Swindell
The Voice of Change™
Are you being pressured to achieve more, produce more, and give more in your work and personal relationships? In today’s society, that’s called “normal.” Everyone seems stretched to the max - trying to cram too much into too little time or space. Result: More people are suffering stress-related illnesses.
Almost everything that can be recommended to relieve pressures in our lives comes down to one of three responses:
1. Receive pressure - handle it and work with it.
2. Reject pressure - eliminate or avoid it.
3. Reduce pressure - shrink it and revise its negative impact.
First, you must identify the pressures in your life. What are the stress factors? Where are they coming from? Which of the three “Rs” is most appropriate for you.
In some instances, your desire to reject pressure is not realistic or even possible. The pressure might be part of your job and must be confronted. You then must decide to either change it or find strategies to live with it.
A young man shared his experience with me recently. With little sales training, he was thrust into prospecting and contacting customers. His frustration grew when unrealistic sales goals were set but no support offered by his manager. The pressure brought on by his low productivity became unbearable and the struggling sales rep decided to quit. He chose to reject that pressure and move to another sales job where proper training and support would allow him to handle a normal amount of pressure. He’s now consistently among the top salespeople in the company.
Don’t readily receive pressure. Often, certain things appear to be established and cannot be changed. If you can create effective coping techniques for withstanding unavoidable pressure, that’s good. But why battle with stress when it could be within your power to change or eliminate it? The six fatal words of many organizations are, “We’ve always done it that way.” Look for better, stress-free ways of doing things.
Your best stress buster might be to reduce the pressure. Sometimes it is impossible to change things entirely but they can be revised in a constructive manner. For example, you may not have the authority to eliminate monthly reports and there may be no reason for doing so. But you can change the major problem that always seems to accompany it:
A. If you’re a manager, subordinates are late in getting necessary information to you and last-minute work is piled on your shoulders.
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B. As an employee, you don’t compile figures through the month rather than burn the midnight oil at the end of each month to beat the deadline causing loss of sleep and more stress.
Each of the three Rs has a specific place in your life, and each involves a distinct set of tactics. If your choice is to receive a pressure, part of your response may involve internal adjustments, such as releasing or tossing off disabling emotions. If your choice is to reject a pressure, effective self-management may be needed such as the ability to set priorities, and then make unwavering decisions. If you choose to reduce a pressure, the skills of negotiation and delegation may be necessary to make changes.
Gene Swindell is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer and author with more than 20-plus years of experience. He delivers customized Consultive Selling programs in addition to award-winning leadership, teambuilding and customer service seminars to a wide range of industries around the world. Request complete information from www.geneswindell.com or call 770-926-1395.
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