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Hi, It‘s Tom here from Excel Communications. 

It‘s Stress Awareness month, so what better time to think about how we lead our team to minimise stress levels – both for ourselves and those we are managing. 

Everyone needs to know how to cope with workplace stress – and a little pressure can sometimes be a good thing – it provides the energy and buzz we need to get going. But when does it begin to take over and cause issues with your team?  

Great leaders know that stress management comes from delivering a healthy workplace environment to encourage positivity.  There are many ways you can do this, but in this video, I’ve picked three easy steps to help you create a stress-free environment and be a great people manager. 

Number 1 is: Communicate 

Listen and share information with your team. Having a leader who is genuinely interested in an employee’s personal well-being will minimise stress levels at work. You can easily demonstrate this by regularly checking in with your team.   

Practise active listening, and allow time for others to speak. Remember to keep communication transparent –  share organisational plans and goals with the team to motivate them – and avoid bombshells being dropped (by the way – this is a major cause of stress at work).  

Number 2 is: Empower 

Leaders who offer opportunities for their teams to have autonomy help to promote a sense of ownership, leading to job satisfaction.  

This also has the bonus of ensuring you avoid micromanaging  – and is therefore good for you too as a leader, as it gives you more time to focus on your work. 

Additionally, you can empower your team by encouraging them to make their own decisions; learning from failure as well as achievement. Allowing them to make mistakes, and see them as learning opportunities will foster an environment of innovation and development where individuals do not feel afraid of making errors and are therefore more likely to pursue their ideas.  

And lastly, number 3 is: Empathise 

Research by global leadership consulting firm DDI has confirmed that empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is a ‘critical driver of overall performance.‘  

By seeking first to understand your employees’ motivations and drivers, you can create a supportive, caring work environment that helps foster engagement and alleviates stress. 

By taking the time to listen to and understand the emotions your team members experience, you will become not only an effective communicator and leader but will also build the trust and comradeship that fuel future success for your team. 

So, there are three ways you can help to combat stress and build a supportive team to achieve your goals.  

If you would like to find out more about how to achieve leadership success, head over to our blogs: there’s lots of useful and in-depth information to inspire you further!  

I‘ll drop a link in the comments box.   

If you want to develop your leadership style and empower your team, you can get in touch by sending me a DM either through LinkedIn or on the contact form on our website.