Image by Gerhard Gellinger
8 tips to solve stress from pressures caused by bosses and employees.
Middle managers ostensibly have something in common with monkeys. “Seriously?” you’re probably thinking.
Well, research has drawn a possible link between the stress of certain monkeys and that suffered by middle managers – both have high anxiety from pressures brought by others – above and below them.
This is according a report by universities in Liverpool and Manchester in England.
“People working in middle management might have higher levels of stress hormones compared to their boss at the top or the workers they manage,” said lead author Katie Edwards.
“These ambitious mid-ranking people may want to access the higher-ranking lifestyle which could mean facing more challenges, whilst also having to maintain their authority over lower-ranking workers,” Dr. Edwards explained.
Monkey business
Her 2013 study showed monkeys in the middle of their social pecking order suffer the most stress. The reason: Social conflict from higher and lower levels in the hierarchy. Hence, the researchers draw a comparison with mid-level managers.
The researcher at Liverpool’s Institute of Integrative Biology spent nearly 600 hours watching female Barbary macaques at Trentham Monkey Forest in Staffordshire. Her research involved monitoring a single female over one day, recording all incidences of social behavior.
These included antagonistic behavior like threats, chases and slaps, submissive behavior like displacing, screaming, grimacing and hind-quarter presentation and behavior such as teeth chatter, embracing and grooming.
Does this sound like your office?
Relaxation technique
“Not unsurprisingly we recorded the highest level of stress hormones on the days following agonistic behavior,” added Dr. Edwards. “However, we didn’t find a link between lower stress hormone levels and affiliative behavior such as grooming.”
Social hierarchy was the reason.
“What we found was that monkeys in the middle of the hierarchy are involved with conflict from those below them as well as from above, whereas those in the bottom of the hierarchy distance themselves from conflict,” said Dr. Susanne Shultz, a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester, who oversaw the study.
“The middle ranking macaques are more likely to challenge, and be challenged by, those higher on the social ladder,” added Dr. Shultz.
Solutions to deal with such issues
To solve the stress to deal with the problems dumped on you requires your to take these actions:
1. Define your limits. Before you reply, determine what you can do and cannot do.
2. Learn how to say “no.” Without feeling sorry, be direct.
3. Do not automatically agree to solve problems. Think about what to do, if anything. That is called refusing ownership.
4. Be intuitive and use supportive redirection. Give an empathetic response.
5. Guide the parties by asking questions about what are they going to do to solve the issues.
6. Be aware of what triggers you. Realize whenever you feel the need to rescue everyone.
7. Practice the art of detachment. Take a mental or physical break from the problem people.
8. Remember the tenets of the Serenity Prayer — “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannont change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.
Got it? Good luck! You’ll be on your way for leadership success.
From the Coach’s Corner, if you’re a mid-level manager, here’s a myriad of solutions:
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Stress: The confusion created when one’s mind overrides the body’s basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk who desperately deserves it.
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