How to Handle Pressure at Work: A Guide for Aspiring Leaders

For many of us, getting a promotion at work is cause for celebration. Being promoted to a leadership role is a sign that you have been accomplishing your goals and performing well for the company, and it’s nice to be recognized for that. It can be exciting to begin a new position where you have more responsibility. 

Taking on a leadership role can also be stressful, especially in the beginning. Leadership positions come with a specific type of work stress and not everyone is prepared for that. The first few weeks or months in a new position can be particularly difficult. 

If you’re going to succeed in your leadership role, you need to find strategies for handling stress at work. You don’t want the stress of your new job to impact your performance. 

Below, we’re sharing tips for how to handle pressure at work. Read on to learn more. 

1. Set Yourself Up for Success 

One of the best strategies for how to reduce stress at work starts well before the workday actually begins. If you start your day off with a chaotic morning, you’re likely to feel pressured and frantic before you even sit down at your desk. Not to mention how you’ll feel once your workday really gets going. 

Even if it means waking up a few minutes earlier, try to start out the day with a calm morning routine. Eat a good breakfast, give yourself plenty of time for your commute, and listen to your favorite music. You’ll sit down at your desk with a clear, calm mine and be ready to take on the day. 

2. Trust Your Team

As a leader, it’s tempting to want to oversee every detail of a project at the micro and macro level. That’s a recipe for work stress, and may foster negative relationships amongst the employees you oversee. 

Trusting the team you’ve built around you is one of the easiest ways to reduce stress at work. Delegate where appropriate, and be involved where it makes sense. If you start to get stressed about their ability to handle things, use positive thinking to calm you down.

They were hired for a reason. If you want them to trust you to lead, you need to trust them to do their job too. 

3. Stay Organized

Walking into a cluttered office or sitting down to a messy desk is going to make you feel stressed. That’s why one of the easiest strategies for how to handle stress at work is to stay organized. A clean, organized space will inspire your creativity, and you’ll be less distracted by the mess around you. 

Organizing your projects and files will also help you feel more prepared for meetings, or to respond to questions from other co-workers. Knowing that you can do your job well and be responsive will naturally reduce work stress. 

Want More Ideas for How to Handle Pressure at Work?

Knowing how to handle pressure at work is important for employees at every level, but especially for those in a leadership role. As you work your way up the company ladder, you will have more responsibility and more people relying on you. You need to have strategies to combat work stress. 

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