I see a lot of business owners and leader who find work very stressful.
I’m reminded of this quote from Reinhold Niebuhr:
“Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Business owners feel responsible for everything and everyone in the business, but they often worry about things they cannot change.
Worrying about the wrong things – those things you cannot change – does you no good, does your blood pressure no good and most importantly does the business no good!
If you’ve done all you can for the customer, you can’t change the decision they are going to make next week or next month.
If you’ve done the research and created the marketing campaign that you all think will work, you must try it to see if it will work. Worrying about it won’t change the outcome.
So what will your worrying do?
If you are worried, it’s like an infectious disease that you will pass on to the team. They will worry as well. If you are worried, you may not (will not) be focused on the things that you can change – where you will make a difference. If you infect the team with your worries, they won’t be focused, will second guess themselves, take longer and probably make more mistakes.
Taking longer and making more mistakes leads to an increase in workload. Extra workload can mean more stress and more worrying – it’s a vicious spiral.
The business leader who appears not to be worried takes away a lot of stress. The team look to the leader and if he’s not worried then we don’t have to be.
Think of the captain of a sports team, or a leader on the battlefield. They are confident and positive, not worried and negative. Sometimes that is just an act – they really are not confident, but they won’t let it show because that damages the team.
So ask yourself “Can I change this thing I am worrying about?” and if the answer is no, move on!