09 Apr Learn to cope with stress to succeed in a harsh corporate world

Stress often affects all of us. Work, relationships, and money problems are some of the most faced difficult situations. The situation can get even harder to focus when there is a lot going on at work. This can result in a build up of more work you have not been able to concentrate on, thus initiating a vicious cycle of more stress. CEOs and founders of big companies have all gone through stressful moments like everyone else, and they all have varied ways of dealing with the tough times.

With business and economic environment across India and abroad currently witnessing the VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) effect, building resilience is a critical aspect for the workforce to survive and succeed in the harsh corporate world. Of late, cut-throat competition, mergers and acquisitions, heightening risk of entrepreneurship and demanding top and bottom line growth are all mounting pressures on employees. I keep reminding my team at Stratton Leo Communication that learning to deal with stressful situations is important. I believe “being high spirited does not mean being immune to stress, but it does mean adjusting to and dealing with stressful situations. It can be developed through learned behaviours, thoughts and actions. Those who can bounce back by gathering resilience are able to survive and succeed. Those who cannot might struggle and perish.”

I recall the story of Indra Nooyi , CEO PepsiCo, where she had shared with Business Insider that how her mother would challenge her and her sister to write a speech about what they would do if they were the Prime Minister or the President of the nation. Each day it would be a different world leader they would have to pretend to be, and Nooyi’s mother would vote for either her or her sister. Nooyi’s grandfather, a charismatic judge, also aided her confidence. If she was unable to do something, her grandfather would make her write “I will not make excuses” 200 times on a piece of paper. All of this fueled Nooyi on to achieve a successful career, and she reminds herself of each and everything she is capable of if things get stressful. I often share stories like this one with my team at Stratton Leo Communication, so as to boost their morale and make them realize that a corporate life is a stressful life and to deal with it resilience is the key.

Being resilient simply means that when life throws a lot of trauma and tribulations at regular intervals, the person should be able to bounce back to life like a rubber band and at that too at the shortest possible time frame. If that trait is embedded into the individual then, it will be a jovial and more importantly well balanced work-life experience for the individual.” It must be noted that the efficiency or the skills to get back can be developed over a period of time. By building the apt amount of resilience and patience, leaders can help colleagues deal with stress while decreasing the impact on their workplace, mental and physical well-being.

Yashwant Pratap Singh (Founder – Stratton Leo Communication)