Leadership requires the exercise of power or influence. It requires having an influence on other people to make things happen. It entails responsibility for your own organization. Leaders are under continual scrutiny and evaluation. These items increase the feels of stress and pressure. For men and women that head organizations, choices are seldom straightforward and clear.

Taking control

Communications and decision making are amazingly intricate. Worse, leaders are often called on to get results and direct individuals over whom they have little ability. There’s absolutely not any doubt it is lonely at the top. Affiliation with other people is known to relieve anxiety, yet leaders are chosen for their high demand for achievement and power. Under stress, a leader will work harder rather than reach out to other people. Furthermore, the higher one is in position, the less authentic the feedback.

Leaders are more likely to CEO disease, where the feedback heading upwards is distorted or diluted. Here are a couple of sources of anxiety that are unique to individuals in leadership positions. Such high levels of anxiety have deleterious effects on the immune system, resulting in physiological conditions that cause diseases. Worse, power stress contributes to destructive psychological conditions.

Leader

A leader may withdraw unto him or herself in a bid to shield from stress. Conversely, they might strike out at others in inconsistent ways, with inappropriate expressions of anger or emotions. The boss may double up her or his attempts to attain outcomes, and in the process, miss important information from individuals. This further alienates people, who may start to perceive the leader as arrogant and no more receptive. There’s absolutely not any doubt there’s a considerable cost incurred as a result of direction power stress.

Power stress

It causes a pioneer to go from resonance to dissonance. Once this happens, there’s a lack of trust, and consequently, a lessening of influence over the troops. Results falter, and the chief becomes unsuccessful in a downward spiral to burnout. The issue isn’t simply power stress. It has always been a component of leadership reality. The issue is too little recovery time. There’s absolutely not any half-time on the area. While the pressure and pressures won’t relent, there should also be greater focus to recuperation on both a personal and organizational level.

Leaders sacrifice themselves continuously at work. Some leaders have learned skills that intentionally and consciously step from the destructive patterns to renew themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Leaders who manage the cycle of sacrifice, anxiety, and renewal are aware of what is necessary to turn situations around.

Conclusion

They have the ability to motivate themselves and others by being optimistic, focusing on values, and connecting with other people. They can not do this without mastering stress and renewal. This involves paying attention to mind, body, heart and soul. These effective leaders understand that without attending to themselves , they won’t have the energy to keep resonance, to handle other men and women. This is part 1 of a two part article on Leadership Power Stress by writer Patsi Krakoff. In part 2 we analyze the remedies for relieving energy stress.