Nowadays, most managers are under immense pressure. Maybe you are one of them.
You need to achieve targets and at the same time keep your team going and motivated. The things you need to think about are piling up. Is that feeling of not knowing where to start familiar? For many managers, high work pressure leads to work stress.
You may sometimes have the feeling that you are barely able to do the work for which you were hired. The feeling that you have too much on your plate can be frustrating and can rob you of your job satisfaction. It may even lead to burnout. But luckily it doesn’t have to go that far. You can get a lot done and at the same time enjoy going to work.
As a manager, you have a switching position. On the one hand, you have a responsibility to the organisation you work for. On the other hand, you are responsible for a team of employees. This switch position ensures that you are constantly required. You have to juggle many balls.
The investors or owners wish to see a good turnover. As a manager, you have the task of achieving those targets together with your employees. You are the point of contact for both sides and you feel responsible to keep both parties happy.
This sense of responsibility can create pressure and work stress, especially when a company needs to be reorganised. Moments of work stress are not in themselves wrong. Work stress ensures that your body produces adrenaline so that you perform better. So far so good.
But prolonged work stress can have an adverse effect on your body and mind. Your view of your work is often a good indicator: are you doing it with pleasure or reluctantly? Are you looking forward to it or dreading it? Work pleasure is always better than work stress.
Balance employees
We often see in practice that managers initially have a clear job description. And usually, a supervisor devises a workable system to perform his tasks well. But gradually a task is added. Many managers keep these tasks to themselves and try to ‘take them all on’.
As a result, he slowly but surely loses the overview of what exactly is required of him. Another internal pressure experienced by managers is the pressure to perform in the management role, but also balancing their team members’ performance and making sure they do not burn out.
Externally, we only need to think about our organisations’ competitors. In fact, in this increasingly crowded and competitive market, managers must make strategic decisions and provide innovative solutions to stand out from their organisation’s competition.
The current economic context is influencing the world of work. The threat of recession affects the budgets allocated to work teams. This phenomenon encourages managers to adapt their action plans and be more agile in managing their teams. They must find strategies to be able to do more with fewer resources.
Managing conflicts
It may seem trivial to say that to manage such pressure, we need to improve our communication skills, but communication is at the heart of a manager’s work. By improving our communication skills, we can share our expectations clearly and thus promote collaboration throughout the team.
These skills also help us to maintain or re-establish a healthy and positive work dynamic within the team, particularly through the development of effective conflict management strategies. It is common to experience pressure in the workplace, especially when managing a heavy workload and numerous projects. Managers are accountable for the performance and success of their team, but they must be able to delegate to balance their workload and their team’s workload.
To do so, managers can involve their employees in identifying solutions to achieve certain projects and involve them in the management of certain deliverables. “Brainstorming” can be a good way to invite employees to bring forward their ideas.
When delegating, it’s important to set clear expectations and establish action plans with your team. This ensures everyone understands their roles and responsibilities, enabling them to follow through on their commitments.
By involving your team in the management of deliverables and making them more accountable, you can foster a culture of ownership and collaboration that leads to better results. When a manager is under a lot of pressure, he or she often has to think about the elements over which they have control.
One of these elements is the relationships they have with their colleagues and employees. He can use openness, authenticity, and also humor to make the climate pleasant for others, but also for himself.
Emphasising authenticity in relationships can foster collaboration, teamwork, and goodwill. It is an element that allows us to build rich relationships with our collaborators. So, even though at times we may feel more pressure, we can count on the support of our colleagues. When we are under pressure, it can be tough to deal with the emotions that arise. However, it’s important to remember that we are not alone in feeling this way. It’s essential to talk about what’s going on and not keep everything bottled up inside. If you’re a manager dealing with a difficult situation, consider joining a community of peers or a co-development group.
This can be a helpful way to share your struggles and get support from others who have been there before. By doing so, you may be able to find new perspectives and approaches to dealing with the challenges you’re facing.
It can be challenging to maintain a work-life balance, but it’s crucial to carve out time for yourself to “unplug” and recharge. This is easier said than done, but it is a practice that will reduce your chances of experiencing burnout.
One way to ensure you have time for what’s important for you is to prioritise it in your schedule. This can help prevent your work from encroaching on the activities that help you maintain your balance and well-being.
Work pressure is an integral part of a manager’s career. This is why it is important to take the time to think and develop strategies to reduce the effects of this pressure. We invite you to share with us your strategies for reducing the pressure you experience as a manager. Together, we can learn from one another and find effective ways to achieve a more balanced life.
Drop low value activities
We all have too much work – don’t we? Can be true but do a time audit – look at where you’re currently spending your time. Are you spending it on the right areas? Try developing a weekly schedule making sure to focus on the high priority tasks
List all your tasks and then categorise them – DELETE (not important or necessary), DO (important), DELEGATE (can be given to someone else) or DEFER (needs to be done but not pressing). Identify those time stealers and put in place strategies to manage them e.g. spend less time on social media and only check your emails at set times of the day.
So why is handling pressure so important as a manager? Well, after you have strategies in place to manage yourself at times of high pressure you will find that your resilience improves, and you perform far more effectively in your role. When you are performing at your best you can help your people to do their best work also.
