Expert Insights: Consulting Coach Secrets
Sam’s Blog
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When I observe teams in high-stakes environments, I often witness the professional equivalent of running red lights. Leaders, absorbed in their objectives like my cab driver, barrel through warning signals—missed deadlines, team burnout indicators, stakeholder concerns—until someone finally screams from the backseat.
Chronic stress impacts the sympathetic nervous system—the part of your brain-body system responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response. When it’s chronically activated, we operate in survival mode: shallow breathing, tight muscles, racing thoughts.
And when teams operate in survival mode? Communication breaks down. Collaboration falters. Trust erodes.
In my work, I frequently observe teams whose purpose is to provide top-level service fall into frustration with their inability to deliver. With stress coming from a lack of support from their workplace’s practices, communication, or training, I can empathize.
Sharing personal hardships like divorce, health issues, and family emergencies can make workplace conversations emotionally difficult and professionally complex. But given that our working lives are not getting shorter anytime soon, it’s not a question of if individuals will need to have these conversations, but when. And navigating these conversations professionally while managing emotions and privacy requires careful thought and preparation.