Tips for Leading While Under Stress

A few nights ago I worked with a surgeon that was running behind schedule. Somehow his office double booked his schedule, and he had additional cases to do that day. This gentleman is a typical type-A personality, and this situation seemed to kick those traits up a notch. I arrived to help with his second to the last case. He was rushing around and very impatient with everyone, even the patient. He was snapping at the operating room nurses and his resident. His behavior was making everyone else in the anxious and uncomfortable. For some reason, the laparoscopic camera monitor wasn’t working. He barked some orders to get it fixed and decided to proceed with placing the laparoscopic ports the old fashion way. He just couldn’t wait for the problem to fixed. He decided to continue without a working monitor and then got into some bleeding. The mess that followed was a direct result of his actions and impatience. A positive trait of wanting to get things done coupled with an inability to step back for a second got him into trouble.

As leaders, I think we can get caught in a similar trap in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment. We want to accomplish goals and objectives and constantly feel a pressure to “move the ball down the field.” Here are a few lessons I’ve noted from witnessing the hurry-hurry-change mentality and some tips on how to prevent getting yourself into trouble.

1. Know who you are. The best leaders have learned to lead themselves. They know who they are and what their personal strengths are. More importantly, they know what their weaknesses and blind spots and work on fixing them. If you are aware that you act differently, perhaps impulsively, under pressure, then the next time you feel you’re under the gun, stop and ask yourself “How am I feeling? What am I feeling?” Work to identify the emotions you’re experiencing and recognize how those emotions will affect your judgment and actions. Are you allowing the pressure of the situation affect your judgment? If you take away the pressure, how would you respond?
2. Know when to cool your jets. If you know yourself well, you’ll be better able to identify when you’re reaching your limit or when you might need to tap the brakes. Don’t be afraid to take a step away from the situation and let your mind and emotions calm down. If you’re feeling stressed, it’s quite likely others are feeling that way as well. There is no shame is calling for a “time-out” to think and ensure that you make the best decision possible. A short break, if possible, will allow everyone to reset and refocus. You will get better decisions too.
3. Know how to set priorities. I think Stephen Covey described it best in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In Habit 3, Put First Things First, he discusses understanding the difference between knowing what is important and what is urgent. If we allow ourselves to be rushed and feel pressure, our mind might misinterpret what’s actually important and truly urgent. Of course, we need to address urgent and important items first. In our surgeon's example, having the proper equipment wasn’t necessarily urgent as the case was elective and the patient was stable. A few minutes, although an inconvenience, wouldn’t matter that much. It was far more critical to the safety and outcome of the surgery for the right equipment to be used from the start. As leaders, we must know how to discern urgent from not urgent, and important from not important. Stress and pressure can blur those lines.
4. Understand how your actions affect those around you. When we feel pressure, we tend to focus inwardly. We become a little more selfish. We act in ways to either express our frustration or to relieve ourselves of the pressure. We might snap or yell. We might use belittling words or make crazy demands. We do this because we want to fix how we feel. However, when we do this, we almost never consider how the other parties feel until after we have acted. As a leader, you will need to learn to think about the effect of your words and behaviors before you speak and act. You must always ask yourself “How might they and behave if I say this or do that?” Be cognizant of the environment you create. I once heard John Maxwell say, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” What is the attitude you’re sending out when you’re feeling the heat?

Take some time to know and understand yourself and how you behave when you’re under the gun. If you want to shine as a leader, control yourself emotions and actions in stressful times and people will follow wherever you want to go.