The year was 1987, and the place was the American Booksellers Convention in San Diego. Famous Amos was there, teaching people about the strategies for operating an efficient and successful cookie business. Lady Bird Johnson was bringing her book about gardening to the public. And throughout the Anaheim Convention Center, nearly 40,000 new books were being introduced, most written for children whose parents were the authors' most sought-after customers!
About 100 copies of a book titled White-Collar Stress were sitting on a large display shelf and getting a small amount of attention. I started to wonder whether this book related to me. Did I have some of this white-collar stress? Was this a phenomenon that most of my colleagues were experiencing? Was it really the people and the work that caused us more stress than our own families? I was starting to believe that, for many of us, that was exactly what was happening.
For this reason, I want to share with you some of the strategies the author presented. No doubt many of us find it difficult to leave our work stressors behind as we return home each day. We also find it more difficult to cope with some of our colleagues' manipulative behavior. Am I referring to someone you know and some of the stress you may be experiencing? The book suggests you begin with some of the following stress-reducing techniques that you may want to incorporate into your work:
Learn the planning process well
People who know where they have been, where they are, and especially where they are going will have less stress. Make to-do lists, consider your priorities, and think about tomorrow. Time moves so quickly, your day will be over before you know it. Work at developing a schedule and a plan. Know what you must accomplish before you leave work each day.
The less you own, the less you worry about
The more electronic toys, the more patients to handle, or the more staff you manage all help create more stress. Before you add anything—and I mean anything—to your life, think about the responsibilities they entail and the energy “ownership” will require.
Accept what you cannot change and take control of what you can
Get real—some things are absolutely out of your control. Keep reminding yourself that you need to dedicate your energy to areas in which you can make a difference and to those things that make you the happiest.
Try avoiding some sources of stress
Although this is not always easy, many sources of stress can be avoided. You may want to avoid working in certain environments that personally upset you or participating on some committees with people who upset you. Try arriving at work a few minutes early to decrease the pressure and stress derived from continually arriving at exactly the time the office opens. Make a list of the stressors that you endure and begin evaluating which ones you can avoid.
Learn the early warning signs of stress
Become aware of your physical and emotional reactions to stress. Do you find it harder and harder to even get to work? Are you finding it more difficult to attend those weekly meetings with your colleagues? Do you find your stomach upset before every consultation with your supervisor or manager? If you find yourself experiencing any of these symptoms, you may want to think about a new work plan for the coming year.
Learn alternative coping mechanisms
You may want to consider taking those breaks during the day you thought you did not need. Have you been putting off your vacation, thinking there is always a better time to go away? Do it now. There are many ways to cope with stress, and you need to create a list of strategies that work for you. Start realizing what activities or behaviors reduce stress. Is coming to work in the morning and finding a clean desk something that makes your feel less stressful as you begin the day? How about not saying everything you feel?
Use the compared-with-that analysis
When something goes wrong in the office and you get really angry—like when the copy machine is out of toner, there are no clean coffee cups, or worse yet, there is no coffee in the office—stop and think about the worst thing that has ever happened to you and see if it compares with how upset you now feel. A little perspective is in order!
Pursue with great effort the relationships worth developing
Make new friends and spend some time networking. The greatest source for reducing stress at work is the opportunity to work with great people. Begin meeting with people whom you respect and who respect you. The people who like us best are usually those who spend some time getting to know us. And those who get to know us well usually are the first to accept us on both good days and bad. Make the effort to say good morning, listen, and show concern for others. The effort you extend in developing positive working relationships will serve you well throughout your career.
Now is the time to initiate an assertive attack on white-collar stress. The book suggests you review these survival techniques for reducing work anxiety and enjoying continued professional success. Although the book's list of techniques is long, these are just a few to get you started.
Be current in your knowledge base
Nothing is more powerful than knowledge. Maintaining a current knowledge base in your selected field helps you not only keep your position but also gain respect from your colleagues. Nothing sells you better than the expression of your intelligence. Continue to remain updated, educated, and informed.
Know your expandable skills
What else can you do with the skills you have now? Often you will find you can do more for the organization than you have. Begin by listing the skills you possess and think about other positions in the organization that you could successfully handle. Knowing there are other areas you could explore if the pressures begin to mount and that you could escape often makes you feel less confined in your current position and becomes the best solution.
Know what the competition is doing
Keep track of what other professionals and organizations are doing. Rather than worrying about the competition, spend time learning from them. Meet them, research them, and analyze them. Never shun the opportunity to meet others who want your position or colleagues with whom you might be compared. Learning about the competition must become an integral part of your professional education.
Be wary of unproductive teams
Yes, people often work well together. But there is often heightened stress when groups of professionals work on the same team or same project. We are often stressed by our colleagues who say they want to work with us, but at the end we find they only take up space and do not contribute. Be careful about those unproductive teams and avoid them if at all possible.
Be sensitive to your environment
Understand how you and the organization work. Health care business environments are not known for the ability to make speedy decisions. Many decisions are made by committees that meet just once a month. You should also evaluate the personalities of those with whom you work. Some are simply unhappy employees, and no matter what you do to change that, they will refuse to give up their unhappiness!
Develop and review your goals
Write down your own goals. Develop short-term and long-term goals. Review them every few weeks to see whether you are headed in the right direction. Verify whether you are on course or whether an adjustment is needed. Many times professionals are stressed because they know where they want to be but find the path they have selected will not lead them there.
Realize that others have the same need for professional success
You cannot be the only one with the new desk, the opportunity to attend every meeting, or the chance to take all the holidays off. The table must have some space for everyone to eat! It is far less stressful to work with a group of people who have recognized the needs of others, who also want to protect their images and egos.
Listen for what is said and not said
Stress often is generated by how you interpret the words, events, and comments made by the people with whom you work. As you focus on what is said, you also must concern yourself with some of the messages left unspoken. Listen carefully for any information that is not expressed and try to determine why certain subjects were avoided in the discussion. The missing information may be the most important to deal with. You may want to ask about what you did not hear before you assume something you have not heard is actually going to happen!
Get to know key decision-makers
Whom you know and how well you know them will always serve you well. Often your stress is caused by not having complete information. You may find it best to get the information firsthand! Knowing the key decision-makers in any organization you are working for or with will help reduce your work stressors.
Know when to let your guard down
The workplace has no breaks and is definitely a full-time job. Do not think you can say or act any way you desire during your break in the lunchroom. Your colleagues may find it interesting to repeat some of your unplanned comments or what you looked like with your feet up on the dining table!
The issues discussed in the book are intimately related to increasing your professional success. They are about your ability and willingness to look closely at yourself. Noting your own personal limitations and acknowledging your inadequacies takes honesty and some basic ego strengths, as well as a firm commitment to yourself and to taking action on the issues that need addressing. You need to spend as much time identifying the problems as you do in developing coping mechanisms to deal with the frustrations of life.
White-Collar Stress was written by someone who seems to have played lots of professional games and is able to define some of them for us to understand and relate to. I saw the author just a minute ago when I looked in the mirror and noticed some lines in his face—the result of battle scars from working in some stressful locations. Look over the two lists presented again and see which strategies you are going to begin using.
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