When I teach my Principles of Management class at Lipscomb University I spend at least part of a lecture talking about stress. My students are often surprised when I state that part of a manager’s job is to proactively manage the amount of stress their employees are feeling so that it is being felt at an optimal level. Optimal, they ask? They often think it is the job of the manager to minimize the stress level of their employees.
As yet another article points out, however, stress can propel you into “the zone” and leading individuals to perform at their peak performance. Stress does need to be appropriately managed and can be damaging if not (I twice ended up in an emergency room in college with hives as a result of not managing my stress level). Although I am still not perfect in managing my stress level, I do a pretty good job overall. How do you manage your stress?