Under Pressure: Performing or Paralyzing?
Pressure is the accumulating force of expectations you feel in your life.
Professional pressure usually relates to the tension between the expectations upon us versus our actual impact.
Pressure can be a positive force that pushes us steadily into a higher range of functioning. Or pressure can be an unbearable force that leaves us paralyzed and unable to act. This paralysis is related to a fear that our actions will fall so short of the expectations that it is better to take no action at all.
Pressure is inevitable as we live, grow and take on new challenges. This article looks at what leaders on teams can do to create an environment where pressure, instead of overwhelming people, has a performance-enhancing impact. Read on for my tips.
Risk – Appropriate versus Unreasonable
All improvement requires some level of risk - risk meaning an absence of certainty regarding the outcome. In short: no risk, no reward. No uncomfortable foray into a new area, no expansion.
Where risk becomes a paralyzing agent is when it is of a magnitude the person has not yet come close to experiencing. For example, if a junior colleague has never managed a budget before, then is told to manage 10 million dollars, the risk is not proportional to the individual's level of expertise. The stakes of failing are very expensive, and the individual may not feel comfortable making decisions on allocating and spending the funds.
Appropriate risk levels are like climbing up a well built staircase. The risk you are asking a person to take should represent moving one or two steps up the staircase they are already travelling on. It should be part of ongoing, incremental growth in alignment with the current path. Yes, sometimes we have to really stretch ourselves, but asking someone who is at the bottom of a flight of stairs to take on an action better suited to someone three flights ahead is a recipe for disaster.
Creating an environment where people take on progressively larger risk builds confidence and new skills. Assigning someone a task when they lack the experience, training and support to succeed is an unacceptable level of risk and will result in uncomfortable pressure... or worse. And on the flip side, offering no room for challenge leads to a flat and stagnant feeling that will have your staff hunting for other jobs.
Facilitating a steady progression of reasonably riskier tasks for a team member is a real management skill that requires both knowledge of your people and a willingness to engage them in increasingly complex projects.
Mistakes – Improving versus Shaming
If you are a manager of people, your attitude toward failure and mistakes will define your teams' experience of pressure.
What are the consequences of mistakes on your team?
If they include penalization, public shaming or being cut out from desirable projects in the future, then you’re creating a culture of fear around mistakes. Fear leads to avoidance, avoidance deepens into procrastination, and then becomes paralysis.
Part of making mistakes manageable is ensuring sufficient communication and support are in place. Having regular check-ins and active monitoring will prevent an employee becoming isolated and proceeding to make a colossal and costly error.
Best tips for creating a culture where mistakes can be discussed and dealt with effectively:
Foster a questioning culture. Don’t react to questions with consternation and exasperation, even if answering them involves repeating yourself or sharing information that should already be known.
Create opportunities for role modeling, where junior staff can see senior and successful colleagues in action.
Discuss project learnings and share openly about mis-steps so there can be organization-wide learning instead of individual growth.
Whenever sharing issues and challenges, ensure sufficient time has passed from the stressful moment and that it is done respectfully + with the blessing of the staff involved (i.e., do not publicly shame your colleagues at a team meeting).
Build learning from past ‘mistakes’ into trainings, templates, meeting agendas and client protocols to avoid repetition.
Trust – Belief versus Doubt
Most people can sense if you have faith in them and their abilities, or if you are dubious about their ability to succeed. Your confidence in someone will show in your attitude toward them.
Doubt in someone results in micromanaging, patronizing speech or second guessing - all of which will undermine even a competent employee's confidence and willingness to take on a true leadership role. Why should someone put in maximum effort if they know you will be going through everything with a fine-tooth comb and revising their work?
On the other hand, when you as a leader encourage and guide your people with an intensity that aligns with their experience, the pressure to deliver can motivate new and impressive outputs. You also give people the space to use their unique talents and strengths, instead of submitting work that imitates your style and preferences. With coaching that shows your believe in your colleagues ability to succeed in the task, pressure does not result in paralysis, but nudges people into action and momentum.
People have a way of fulfilling your expectations. If you expect them to fail, then the likelihood of a dire outcome increases. If you believe they have fantastic potential, then they are much more likely to fulfill their promise.
Success – Transparency versus Secrecy
Is there someone very successful on your team? If so, how transparent are they about their methods? How open are they to sharing best practices and tips with the larger team?
I’ve been on teams where there were exceptional performers, but they where classic ‘lone wolf’ personas. The strategies and tactics by which this colleague achieved his results were not shared and discussed. The larger team only ever saw the end result, and the process was shrouded in mystery.
If you want success to be replicable and contagious, then have your team be open with one another about their methods, their approaches and their best practices. Otherwise, one person’s success becomes a source of intimidation instead of inspiration.
Resources – Sharing versus Hoarding
In this same vein, how are resources managed in your organization? The resources will vary depending on the workplace, but they include technology, templates, training and network building opportunities.
Is your team actively aware of the resources that exist to help them do their jobs? Is access to these resources equitable or random? Is access controlled by one person?
Lack of resource sharing wastes time. If there are no templates available, then people waste time reinventing something that already exists. If you are not investing in appropriate technology, you are harming your team’s efficiency as well as their opportunity to develop appropriate skills for their field.
In severe cases, a lack of resources is so overwhelming that it may cause paralysis and employees will not have the material, digital and professional supports they need to execute tasks. Don’t waste the time and talents of you team members. If something is done well, find a way to translate that into a tool that celebrates the achievements of a high performing team member, while inspiring others with a clear tool to build their own version of success.
In Conclusion
Managing for optimal performance in a high-pressure environment is hard. Some think that throwing someone into the deep end – without resources and support – is a great way to force them to get growing and become resourceful all on their own. And sure, it’s possible to face an overwhelming, high-risk situation and triumph over the odds to achieve personal growth.
You can achieve better results and form positive long-term relationships by implementing the steps above. It involves taking the time to get to know your team, their natural strengths, and areas where additional support is needed. But well managed pressure can drive collaboration, innovation and results.
