Stress - Who's Stressed?

The challenge of being a CEO is that you wear many hats. You’ve got to be a visionary, a problem-solver, a coach and strategist. That’s a tall order under normal circumstances. But times are not normal. These are times when managing stress can become even more difficult and more important.

We asked Dr. Bill Crawford, licensed psychologist, author and Vistage Speaker of the Year, for his advice: Start with awareness: Notice what your triggers are during times of stress

I like to show CEOs that there’s more going on behind their responses to external factors than they may be aware. When I ask them, “What are your triggers?” I often hear, “The stock market’s down,” or, “People are not listening.” And then I ask, “So that triggers stress, and what else?” Often, CEOs say they feel frustration, anger and resentment — the negative reactions that get in the way of their clarity, confidence and creativity. Once we notice our triggers and our old reactions, CEOs tell me that it helps to understand that the lower 20% of the brain is responsible for our negative reactions to unfavorable events. In other words, our stress, frustration, anger, or anxiety is simply data being sent to the wrong part of the brain.

The role of your brain in how you react to unfolding events...

All our best Team Vistage