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Overcoming stress in project management

Susanne Madsen Athens. May 2019

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Susanne Madsen •  International project leadership coach

•  20 years hands-on experience leading change programmes of up to $30m

•  Qualified coach and NLP Practitioner

•  PRINCE2 and MSP Practitioner

•  Author of The Power of Project Leadership and The Project Management Coaching Workbook

•  http://www.susannemadsen.com

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My road back to full health •  I got better at delegating and asking for help

•  I learnt to control my mental state

•  I began to leave the office at 6pm

•  I decided not to think about work once I left the office

•  I began to practice yoga and pay more attention to what I eat

•  I did more of what gave me energy

•  I took a mini sabbatical

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What is stress? •  Negative stress is a situation where

demands on you exceed your resources or ability to cope.

•  It happens when you feel that you can't cope with pressure.

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Three physiological stages •  Fight, flight, freeze response •  Increased heart rate •  Cortisol and adrenaline released

ALARM

•  Body tries to repair itself •  Adapts to higher levels of stress •  Irritability, frustration

RESISTANCE

•  Chronic stress •  Physically & emotionally drained •  Fatigue, anxiety, burnout

EXHAUSTION

1

2 3

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How do you react to stress? 1.  Think of a recent situation that was stressful to you.

2.  How were you feeling?

3.  What were you thinking?

4.  What did you say and do?

5.  What was the physical effect on your body?

6.  How do you think your colleagues would describe the way in which you deal with stress?

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Burnout or Rustout?

!

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Why does it matter? •  Prolonged negative stress has a severe

impact on health and happiness.

•  Reduces access to prefrontal cortex. IQ drops by about 20 points.

•  Reduced problem-solving abilities.

•  Fast but un-creative decision-making.

•  12.5 million days are lost to stress each year, costing UK employers billions.

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Which warning signs do you recognize? (1)

Cognitive Symptoms Emotional Symptoms

Memory problems Moodiness

Inability to concentrate Irritability, short temper

Poor judgment Agitation, inability to relax

Constant worrying Feeling overwhelmed

Anxious, racing thoughts Sense of loneliness

Seeing only the negative Depression, unhappiness No sense of humor Lacking confidence

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Which warning signs do you recognize? (2)

Physical Symptoms Behavioral Symptoms

Aches and pains Eating more or less

Diarrhea or constipation Sleeping too much / too little

Nausea, dizziness Isolating yourself from others

Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Neglecting responsibilities

Loss of sex drive Using alcohol /drugs to relax

Frequent colds Nervous habits (nail biting)

Sleep deprivation Refrain from taking initiative

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Peter’s story •  Unrelenting pressure to implement multi-disciplinary

design and build projects within the rail industry.

•  Collapsed at work with severe chest pain and ended up in the Cardiac Care.

•  He began to exercise, make time for friends and family. He learnt to ‘switch off” and used relaxation techniques.

•  Today, 12 years later, he manages much more complex projects but experiences them as less stressful.

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•  Fight or Flight – we move into survival mode.

•  Cortisol and adrenaline are released.

•  The blood thickens. The brain swells.

•  The heart beats faster.

The physical stress response

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Which warning signs do you see?

Physical Symptoms Behavioral Symptoms Cognitive Symptoms Emotional Symptoms

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Ideas on how to overcome stress Write down the stress-reducing techniques that work for you

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How to beat stress

u  Choose your response

u  Put things in perspective

u  Set personal boundaries

u  Physical health

u  Working smarter

u  Change the culture

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Choose your response

EXTERNAL EVENT

INTERNAL RESPONSE

OUTCOME

Your thinking patterns determine how you respond to external events. Do you get triggered or do you stay calm?

Pause for 2 mins. Breathe deeply before choosing your response. (The biology of courage)

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Our thoughts play a big role.. Emotional stress isn’t the result of stressful situations. It’s the result of the thoughts we have about those situations.

And thoughts are only real if we believe them..

If we can identify the thought and change it, we have found a key to combatting stress.

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Avoid thinking errors

•  I must/I should/I can’t – I must finish this today.

•  Thinking in black and white – It has to be 100% perfect.

•  Attaching negative labels to ourselves – I’m inexperienced.

•  Predicting negative future events – I know I’m going to mess up.

•  Blowing things out of proportion – It’s a catastrophe!

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Put things in perspective

•  How awful is the stressing event on a scale from 1 to 100?

•  How much will it matter in 12 months time?

•  Talk about the things you find stressful.

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Dealing with challenging clients 1.  “In the event that I have to tell you about a bump or a setback, what is

the best way to tell you?”

2.  Do not let the client’s behaviour trigger you. Say to yourself: “Here it comes.” Then take a deep breath, look them straight in their left eye, pause until they realize they haven’t provoked you.

3.  Name their behaviour: “When you shout at my like this, it makes me feel that you are not interested in working together to find the best possible solution.”

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Set personal boundaries •  Agree ground rules with yourself

•  Decide on the work-life balance you want

•  Don’t take work home –  switch off phone –  Create a “shut-down” ritual

•  Take a proper lunch break

•  Speak up when you have reached capacity

You can only work as hard as you are able to recover

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Change your physiology •  Mind and body are interconnected:

–  Breathe deeply and slowly –  Get up and move –  Stretch or go for a walk –  Practice mindfulness

•  Look after you physical health: –  Exercise regularly –  Get enough sleep –  Eat healthily

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Work smarter •  Don’t multitask

•  Focus on one activity at the time

•  Eat That Frog!

•  Don’t let email manage you

•  Create a to-do-list before you leave work

•  Give up the super hero image: –  You don’t have to know it all and do it all –  Learn to delegate and ask for help

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Change the project culture

•  Make it ok to show vulnerability and express how we feel

•  Do something together as a team

•  Care about each other’s wellbeing

•  Have a weekly stress management huddle, or cuddle

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What can you start and stop doing?

•  I can ease the impact of stress in my work and life if I were to start..

•  I can ease the impact of stress in my work and life if I were to stop..

•  I will know that I am managing my stress better when I..

Finish the sentences

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What drains and energizes you?

Identify the activities that either give you energy or that drain you.

Follow your passion.

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The key to wellbeing

•  Amplify the things that give you meaning and purpose.

•  Contribute your talents to a cause greater than you.

•  Engage in generous and altruistic behaviour.

•  See the positive in other people.

•  Notice the small things and be grateful for your day.

•  Be fully present.

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