With Stress Awareness Day (5 November) fast approaching, executives working in fast-paced companies know that while stress may be unavoidable, if left unchecked it has a negative impact on mental health and job satisfaction. David Ewing, Managing Partner at ECI Partners, a leading mid-market private equity firm, comments: “Having worked with numerous high growth portfolio companies I know that having high level responsibility and working in a fast-paced environment is part of what makes many C-Suite jobs so exciting, but for so many people working in private equity or PE-backed companies, it can be very easy to put your mental health on the backburner while you focus on day to day issues.”
Ewing has the following tips on simple ways to help combat stress, no matter where you work:
Communication culture
Acknowledge stress and don’t try to hide it. Not only will this help lighten the emotional burden and promote healthier coping mechanisms, but it also makes other people feel less inclined to bottle it up, so it has an amplifier effect across your organisation. Your network should also provide support and a safe space to vent. Connecting with mentors who understand your position can help reframe challenges through sharing lessons learned.
Recognising signs of burnout
Learn to recognise when your stress levels have become unmanageable, such as physical symptoms like sleep problems, emotional symptoms such as irritability or depression, or behavioural symptoms such as a negative mindset or feeling worthless. Spotting these early means that you can get help or face the root cause rather than letting it spiral.
Create your own path. Burnout happens when you feel you are out of control, with no choices available to change things. There are always choices, and it can help to share decisions when you feel you can’t see the wood for the trees.
Time out from tech
Everyone needs time away from work or thinking about work, but in today’s always-on tech, it can be easy to feel like the work never stops. Create space where you aren’t one notification away from being pulled back into the next task on your plate.
Turning stress into a positive
Stress can have benefits, making us work harder and think creatively on projects that are important to us. Understanding when it is beneficial and using it appropriately, can be a superpower. Just as stand-up comedians try to imagine that their stage nerves are in fact excitement, try and understand whether some moments of stress can be reframed as reflecting your enthusiasm.
Set realistic priorities
An unrealistic to-do list will make anyone stressed. If possible, use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritise tasks by urgency and importance. Set realistic deadlines and communicate them clearly. Block out time for focused work and don’t be afraid to say no to meetings that take up space needed for thinking and doing. Remember, you control your time.
Avoid superhero syndrome
Mental wellness is high on the company agenda these days, thanks to a new culture of openness in discussing mental health. Ensuring all team members are supported and fostering happiness and wellbeing can take up a lot of C-suite time and attention, but who looks after the leaders? They are often under immense pressure to make critical decisions, but handling everything themselves can lead to isolation and feeling overwhelmed. Instead, empower your team to make decisions with your support. Not only will this promote leadership skills across your organisation, but it will also generate broader perspectives and more job satisfaction among the team.
Celebrate success
Expectations are often high in fast-paced jobs, which may make every milestone feel like it is par for the course, and you end up in a high-stress and low appreciation cycle. Instead, take time to celebrate work goals, projects finished, deals done, etc. Not only will it give you greater job satisfaction, but it will also help the whole team recognise that hard work is valued.
