Growth Instigators Hotline

#283 tick-tock... tick-tock... tick-tock…

• Aaron Havens • Season 3 • Episode 283

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Ever find yourself staring at the ceiling at 3 AM, leadership responsibilities spinning through your mind? That's exactly where we start this powerful exploration of leadership stress – a challenge that doesn't hit all at once but builds gradually until you're running on empty.

Leadership stress has a sneaky way of accumulating while you're busy juggling vision, people, deadlines, and expectations. As your host Aaron Havens puts it bluntly, "Burned out leaders don't build healthy teams." The good news? Managing leadership stress doesn't require dramatic life redesigns – just intentional shifts in how you approach your role.

We dive into practical strategies that make an immediate difference: creating genuine breaks between meetings, saying no without guilt to protect your focus, and engaging in completely "unleader-like" activities to reset your perspective. Through personal examples, we explore how slowing down can actually accelerate your leadership effectiveness. The most powerful insight? Leadership isn't about avoiding stress completely – it's developing the wisdom to carry it appropriately and knowing when to set it down.

If you're feeling the weight of leadership more heavily than usual, this episode offers both immediate relief and long-term strategies. Your work matters deeply – that's why managing stress isn't optional but essential for sustainable impact. Connect with us at growthinstigators.com for personalized support in gaining the clarity, confidence and change your leadership journey deserves. What stress management technique will you implement today?

Speaker 1:

Have you ever just laid in bed? Tick tock, tick, tock, tick tock. Welcome to message 283 of the Growth Instigators Hotline, where we ignite your personal and professional development. I'm Aaron Havens, your host and growth coach. Let's dive into today's insight.

Speaker 1:

Winning Leadership Wednesday managing stress as a Leader. Yeah, leadership stress is sneaky. It doesn't usually hit all at once. It builds up slowly. Next thing you know you're not sleeping, your email box is getting filled up and your energy level is getting drained. Yeah, I get it. You're juggling the vision, the people, the deadlines, the growth, the meetings, the expectations, plus whatever chaos life is throwing at you personally. And no one is handing out trophies for burnout. Yikes, did I say that? Yeah, you're heading for burnout, but let's say this clearly burned out leaders don't build healthy teams. So here's what I've learned Most of the time, managing stress doesn't require a life overhaul.

Speaker 1:

It just takes a few intentional shifts. Here are a couple thoughts. Take breaks, for real. 24-7 work is the path to burnout. Create space between meetings to actually breathe. Say no without guilt, especially when it protects your focus or your peace. Doing something completely unleader-like is another idea A quiet walk, a hobby or, I hate to say it, binge, watching something good on Netflix. Hey, I had a stretch where I was trying to be everyone's everything and I noticed I was getting snippy. I was short and I was very much uninspired. The fix wasn't quitting. It was slowing down enough to ask what do I actually need to keep leading well Leadership doesn't mean never feeling stressed.

Speaker 1:

It means knowing how to carry it better and knowing when to set it down. What you're doing is worth it. Do it with all your heart. Lead that team, charge that practice, do that thing. Just do it with your health in mind. Stress is part of the game. If you learn to manage stress, you've learned a skill to sleep well at night. Thank you for calling Growth Instigators Hotline. I'd love to hear from you. Leave a message after the beep or send an email to Aaron at growthinstigatorscom and let me know one, what's been wearing you down as a leader lately and two, what helps you reset when the pressure is up and if the leadership weight feels heavier than it should. This is what we do. We help leaders gain the clarity, confidence and change you've been striving for. Visit growthinstigatorscom and let's jump on a quick call. As always. Keep instigating growth in all you do.