Workplace Stress Management for Leaders
Managing Stress: Leading Under Pressure Without Burning Out
Written by: Michael Huff
When you hear the word “stress,” what comes to mind?
Deadlines. Big projects. Financial pressure. Not measuring up. Social obligations. Uncertainty. Maybe even that one-on-one meeting with your boss. For most of us, stress immediately carries a negative connotation. Stress feels like something we should avoid, minimize, or escape from altogether. But what if stress wasn’t just a challenge to endure? What if it could also be an opportunity for growth, learning, and perseverance?
Sometimes the most valuable part of a stressful event comes after it’s over. That moment often brings relief, and sometimes even a sense of accomplishment. You realize the things you were telling yourself weren’t true. What once felt overwhelming suddenly feels far more manageable.
In many ways, stress can strengthen us. As the saying goes, and as Kelly Clarkson famously sang, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Leadership often works much the same way. When we move through stressful situations and come out the other side, we build confidence, resilience, and perspective that prepare us to navigate future challenges more effectively.
The real challenge isn’t eliminating stress. The challenge is learning how to respond to stress and to recognize when it begins to negatively impact people, teams, and results.
Stress is Inevitable. Burnout is Avoidable.
Now I don’t want to stress you out, but if you’re a leader, stress comes with the territory. Production targets still have to be met. Equipment breaks down. Customers expect results. And your team is counting on you for answers when things get difficult.
Burnout usually comes from chronic, unmanaged stress, especially when people feel they have little control or support. Nearly 3 in 5 American workers report feeling burned out, according to Aflac’s latest workforce report. Heavy workloads and long work hours top the list of stress drivers across industries.
According to the UKG Manufacturing Workforce Report, burnout is becoming increasingly visible on the factory floor. The report found that 37% of managers observe signs of employee burnout on a weekly basis, 81% identify training to address burnout as a priority, and 34% wish they were doing more to tackle it. These findings highlight the growing need for proactive strategies to support employee well-being.
But don’t stress! Because stress itself isn’t always a problem. In fact, some stress is necessary. It sharpens focus. It pushes teams toward goals. It helps leaders grow into bigger responsibilities. Sometimes the very situations that create the most stress are also the ones that build the most resilience. But there’s a fine line between the kind of stress that drives performance and the kind that burns people out.
Understanding that difference is where emotional intelligence becomes one of the most important leadership skills on the floor.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Stress
Research on stress is beginning to challenge the long-held belief that stress is always harmful. In her TED Talk, How to Make Stress Your Friend, psychologist Kelly McGonigal highlights studies showing that people who experience high levels of stress are not necessarily at greater health risk, unless they believe stress itself is damaging. In other words, how we think about stress can influence how our bodies respond to it.
McGonigal puts it simply: the goal isn’t to eliminate stress, but to become better at handling it. When people learn to view stress differently, their physiological response can actually change. Instead of interpreting a racing heart or faster breathing as signs of panic, they begin to recognize them as signals that the body is preparing to meet a challenge.
New leaders often earn their position because they’ve demonstrated the ability to lead themselves well. They show discipline, accountability, and strong performance. But stepping into a leadership role introduces an entirely new set of pressures. Suddenly, the job becomes less about what you do and more about how you inspire, support, and motivate others to do their jobs well.
Pressure often multiplies when you take on the responsibility of leading others. For many new leaders, this kind of pressure is unfamiliar. The expectations are higher, the stakes feel bigger, and it can create moments of doubt about whether you’re handling situations the right way.
Emotional intelligence helps leaders recognize what they’re feeling, understand how it affects their behavior, and respond intentionally rather than reactively. It isn’t about pretending everything is fine with a “serenity now” mantra.
Leaders who develop emotional intelligence learn how to:
- Recognize stress signals early
- Regulate their responses under pressure
- Stay focused on long-term goals during short-term chaos
- Support their teams through difficult situations
- Maintain productive relationships even when tensions rise
When leaders build these capabilities, stress becomes something they can navigate rather than something that controls them.
Feeling Stressed? Take a PAUSE
That’s where a concept from Joseph Nguyen’s book Don’t Believe Everything You Think becomes incredibly useful. Nguyen introduces a simple but powerful framework called the PAUSE technique, which helps people interrupt their automatic reactions to stressful situations.
Instead of immediately reacting when something stressful happens, pause and create space between the event and your response.
PAUSE stands for:
P – Pause.
Stop for a moment before reacting. Most stress reactions happen automatically. Pausing breaks that cycle.
A – Acknowledge.
Recognize what you’re feeling and what triggered it. Stress often intensifies when we ignore or suppress emotions.
U – Understand.
Ask yourself what’s really happening. Is this situation truly a crisis, or is your mind amplifying the pressure?
S – Shift.
Reframe your perspective and decide how you want to respond.
E – Engage.
Move forward with intention rather than reaction.
For leaders, this small shift can make a big difference. Instead of reacting emotionally in the heat of the moment, the PAUSE technique allows you to respond thoughtfully and model calm, productive behavior for your team.
And once you begin creating that space between stress and reaction, something interesting happens. You start to realize that not all stress is the same. Some stress pushes us forward. Other stress wears us down.
Understanding the difference is one of the most important skills a leader can develop.
The Two Types of Stress Leaders Must Recognize
Not all stress works the same way. Understanding this difference isn’t new. Hans Selye introduced the concepts of eustress and distress while studying how the body responds to pressure.
Eustress is the kind of pressure that energizes people. It pushes teams to perform, solve problems, and grow. Distress, on the other hand, drains energy and eventually leads to burnout.
The difference often comes down to duration, control, and meaning.
Examples of Good Stress (Eustress)
Certain types of pressure can actually improve performance when they’re temporary and goal-focused — like preparing to launch a new project, meeting an important deadline, or stepping into a new leadership role.
I experienced this firsthand when I started working with Double E Workplace Solutions. Initially, I was brought in strictly as a writer to help develop training content and articles. Eventually, I began traveling with the team to observe our leadership training sessions so I could better capture the material and turn it into scripts.
During our third event, the other facilitator became ill and was unable to attend. Suddenly, I was asked to step in and lead part of the training.
I said yes. Then I immediately regretted saying yes!
I was terrified. I remember feeling sick to my stomach. When it came time to present, I stared at my notes the whole time, and it was terrible. But I survived it.
Then I did it again. Each time it became a little easier. I prepared more, became more comfortable leading discussions, and eventually started incorporating personal stories and looking for ways to continuously improve each of my sections.
Over time, I found myself leading significant portions of our three-day leadership programs.
The stress never completely disappeared. But something important changed. What once felt overwhelming began to feel energizing.
In this situation, stress became a performance driver.
Examples of Harmful Stress (Distress)
Problems arise when stress becomes constant, unpredictable, or overwhelming. In our three-day leadership training, we often share a short video featuring Simon Sinek that explains the biological side of stress.
He explains that when we experience stress, the body releases cortisol, the hormone responsible for the fight-or-flight response. Cortisol sharpens our senses and prepares the body to react quickly to danger. In short bursts, this response can be helpful.
But when people operate in environments where stress is constant, cortisol remains elevated; problems begin. Over time, it suppresses systems in the body responsible for growth, immunity, and even the hormones that promote trust and connection with others.
In other words, when people feel unsafe or constantly pressured at work, they become biologically less likely to collaborate, support one another, or show empathy.
In our work with frontline leaders, here’s where they report harmful stress shows up.
Chronic Overwork: When long hours become the norm rather than the exception, fatigue builds quickly. Productivity declines, mistakes increase, and burnout becomes inevitable.
Persistent Equipment Failures: Constant breakdowns create frustration and helplessness. Teams spend their days reacting instead of improving operations.
Toxic Work Relationships: Conflict between coworkers or poor leadership dynamics can create tension that spreads across the entire team.
Unlike eustress, distress erodes morale, productivity, and well-being over time.
Why Leaders Must Pay Attention to Stress
Stress rarely stays contained to one person. When leaders operate under constant pressure, their teams feel it. Communication shortens, patience disappears, and small problems grow into larger ones. That’s why managing stress starts with the leader. Just like the oxygen mask on an airplane, you have to take care of your own response before you can support others.
The goal isn’t eliminating pressure. High-performance environments will always have it. The goal is to learn to navigate stress in a way that strengthens people rather than burning them out. Contact us at Double E Workplace Solutions to explore how we can support your organization by conducting a workplace stress assessment.
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