Managing Stress as a Leader
Barbra Carlisle • March 16, 2025
Prolonged stress is a disaster for Leaders and their teams
As a leader I am sure you will agree that leadership is a rewarding journey on the whole. However, it’s often a journey that is travelled under significant pressure. The weight of responsibility, decision-making, and managing people can lead to stress that doesn't just impact you but ripples out to your team, organisation, and your family life.
Recognising, understanding, and managing this stress is crucial for sustaining effective leadership and fostering healthy workplace cultures.
The Dynamics of Stress in Leadership
Stress manifests differently for every leader. For some, it may show up as physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or difficulty sleeping. For others, it's emotional or behavioural—irritability, indecisiveness, or withdrawal. Prolonged stress can lead to burnout, reduced productivity, and poor decision-making (Harvard Business Review, 2022).
Stress isn’t always about workload.
It can stem from unclear expectations, navigating complex team dynamics, or facing the weight of constant change. The challenge is that leaders often feel they must carry this weight silently, believing vulnerability undermines authority. Yet, the reality is that unaddressed stress can lead to miscommunication, disengagement, and a culture where pressure becomes the norm rather than the exception.
The Ripple Effect of Leadership Stress
Individual Impact: Chronic stress can erode a leader’s health, relationships, and overall wellbeing. It can lead to poor mental health outcomes and diminish one’s sense of purpose and satisfaction in work.
- Family Impact: The stress a leader experiences doesn't stay at the office. It can strain relationships at home, reduce emotional availability, and contribute to feelings of guilt and isolation.
- Team Impact: Leaders set the tone for their teams. Stress can result in less empathetic leadership, strained communication, and a lack of psychological safety. This may discourage innovation and increase turnover.
- Organisational Impact: Persistent stress in leadership can contribute to a toxic culture, poor performance, and higher absenteeism rates. It affects organisational resilience and long-term sustainability (CIPD, 2025).
Recognising Stress
Managing stress starts with awareness. Leaders need to recognise not just when they are under pressure but how it manifests. Reflection is key, as is understanding the unique triggers and patterns that heighten stress levels.
Here, subtle insights from personality frameworks like the 5 Voices can offer valuable guidance. Each leadership style may respond to stress differently. For instance:
• Leaders who prioritise harmony may feel overwhelmed when facing unresolved conflict.
• Leaders who value precision and excellence might experience stress when faced with ambiguity or rushed decisions.
• Vision-oriented leaders could feel trapped if they're bogged down in details.
• Process-driven individuals might struggle when systems break down or when rapid change disrupts routines.
• Empathetic, people-focused leaders may carry the emotional weight of their team's wellbeing.
Understanding these tendencies can help leaders pinpoint when stress is rising and why. It also highlights that there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Managing stress is about recognising what matters most to you and ensuring those needs are met sustainably.
Strategies for Managing Stress
- Pause and Reflect: Take time to identify stress triggers and patterns. Journaling or quiet reflection can help in recognising emotional signals early.
- Connect with Peers: Leadership can be lonely. Building networks where honest conversations are welcomed can provide perspective and reduce isolation.
- Embrace Healthy Boundaries: Knowing when to switch off is vital. Leaders who model balance encourage the same for their teams.
- Reframe Pressure: Sometimes, changing the narrative around challenges can reduce their emotional weight. This doesn't ignore reality but reshapes how it's perceived.
- Coaching Support: Engaging with a coach offers a safe space to explore challenges, build resilience, and develop strategies for maintaining balance. Coaching can provide insights into stress responses and practical ways to manage them without compromising leadership effectiveness.
To summarise
Stress is an inevitable part of leadership, but it doesn't have to define it.
By recognising how stress manifests, understanding personal triggers, and implementing practical strategies, leaders can sustain their wellbeing and lead with clarity and purpose. To help understand what your triggers are why not take our free 5 Voices assessment here
Investing in personal development and seeking coaching support is not a sign of weakness but a commitment to sustainable leadership. It ensures that the leader, their team, and the wider organisation thrive—not in spite of challenges but through navigating them with resilience and authenticity.
Book a call with me here
to talk through what you are experiencing and what you would like to achieve.
Harvard Business Review. (2022). Managing Stress as a Leader.
CIPD. (2025). https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/factsheets/stress-factsheet/
Giant Worldwide. (n.d.). The 5 Voices Framework.
When I first stepped into a leadership role, I did what many of us do, I mirrored the leadership styles I had seen in action as a young professional. I had seen Cathy Garner at the Housing Corporation back in the mid 90s invite me to a senior level meeting and me to reply "Why Cathy I don't have anything useful to say" and her saying "Barbra it is about being in the room. Come, it will not be a waste of your time". Brilliant advice. I also sub consciously took in the directive leaders, the nice to face not quite so nice behind your back leaders and began to learn that leadership means different things to different people. I also experienced leaders who manipulated and coerced me into positions that were simply not comfortable for a young female professional. What I came to learn that I had to be naturally me as a leader. Yes I over share, yes I make light of things, yes I am a glass half full person. I worked on recognising when that style didn't bring the best out of the people around me and I flexed my style. Uncomfortable but definitely rewarding. We all have it in our gift to ask "what kind of leader do I actually want to be?" In today’s leadership landscape, especially in the charity and non-profit sector, authenticity isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s essential. According to recent research from CIPD, only 26% of L&D leaders feel their organisations are truly receptive to their ideas. That disconnect often stems from leaders not feeling confident in their own voice, or unsure how to bring their full selves to the table. Or bringing their full selves without filters and being told they are too loud, too this or too that. Why your leadership style matters Your leadership style shapes how people experience you — and how they experience their work. When you lead in a way that aligns with your values and personality, you create psychological safety, trust, and clarity. When you lead in a way that feels performative or borrowed, it can create confusion or even mistrust. When you lead without any consideration of what it is like to be on the other side of you I am sorry to say you will fail. Because not everyone will work well with the natural you. At Glee Coaching, I often work with new CEOs and senior leaders who are still figuring out what kind of leader they want to be. Some are navigating imposter syndrome. Others are trying to balance being approachable with being strategic. The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all model. But there is a way to lead that feels like you — and that’s where the real impact happens. How to start finding your style Observe, but don’t copy. Learn from others, but filter it through your own values and strengths. Ask for feedback. Not just on performance, but on how people experience your leadership. Try tools that build self-awareness. Programmes like Discover Your Leadership Voice (which I run monthly) help leaders understand their natural communication style and how to adapt it to others. Reflect regularly. What’s working? What feels forced? What energises you? Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about being the clearest, most consistent version of yourself — and helping others do the same. Get in touch if you want to chat about how you can find your own style of leadership that works for you and those around you.
“I learnt a lot by going in and making the cups of tea, and hoovering up for them.” That quote came from Alan Adams, General Manager of Southport Flower Show and a guest on my podcast *The Unlikely Executive*. It stuck with me, not because it was about tea or hoovers ( though I do like the former, the latter less so), but because it captured something about a certain type of leadership: the insight that comes from experiencing all aspects of the organisation. I believe this links to leader empathy. In the charity sector, I have met three broad types of leaders 1. those who have 'worked' their way up 2. those who have pivoted from private to third sector and entered at a senior level (more about them in a later newsletter article) 3. those who have almost been pushed into leadership through personal circumstance (for example those who set up charities on the back of a personal trauma - again I will post about this at a later date) Today I want to focus on those who have worked their way up. They’ve been on the frontlines, run community events, answered helpline calls. That experience gives them a deep understanding of the people they serve and the teams they lead. But what if you didn’t start there? What if you came into leadership from another sector, or stepped into a senior role early in your career? Does that mean you’re missing something? Not necessarily. But it does mean you need to be intentional about how you connect with the frontline. Why it matters Leaders who understand the day-to-day realities of their teams make better decisions. They build more trust. They’re more likely to spot issues early and respond with empathy. In a recent People Management report, 41% of UK businesses now see learning and development as central to their strategy. That includes developing leaders who can connect across levels — not just manage from the top. How to build that connection (even if you didn’t start at the bottom) Spend time with your team. Not just in meetings, but in their world. Sit in on calls. Visit service sites. Ask questions. Listen without fixing. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is listen without jumping in with a solution. Be curious, not performative. People can tell when you’re ticking a box. Show genuine interest in their work and challenges. Share your own learning curve. Vulnerability builds trust. If you’re learning, say so. - my own personal favourite - have a work experience week - where you do a role that you have never tried before and take advice and guidance from the current postholder. At Glee, I work with leaders who want to lead with more empathy and impact — whether they started on the frontlines or not. What matters most is your willingness to understand, adapt, and grow. Because leadership isn’t about where you started. It’s about how you show up now.
