Working under pressure
Your best client calls you to tell you that the competition is getting busy and that, very sorry, they need you to deliver the project now.
You don’t have it ready yet, so you know you won’t make it on time.
And you also know what that means: you can lose it.
What you have always feared is happening: that client accounts for 30% of your turnover!
Not only that: his departure could mean that others imitate him and leave too.
This could be a catastrophe for your company.
Or imagine this:
The project that you have been preparing for weeks to get that big account that was going to save you from closure contains an error.
You have searched and searched for it, but there is no human way to find it.
And the deadline ends tomorrow!
You will have no choice: either a miracle will happen or you will have to close the blinds.
This is working under pressure.
From here two things can happen:
- May your brain fade to black and implode.
- React, stay calm, and look for solutions that will get you out of the mess you’re in.
Well, the ability to work under pressure is the second.
In short, it means that you are able to make the right decisions at critical moments, overcoming adversities and possible emergencies that may arise along the way.
In short, it means that you are able to make the right decisions at critical moments, overcoming adversities and possible emergencies that may arise along the way.
And adversities and emergencies will arise, believe me.
It’s not Murphy’s Law, it’s everyday life.
Life.
Pandemics.
Transportation stoppage.
War.
You know what I’m talking about.
A highly in-demand skill
It is quite common when a company makes a selection to fill management positions that the phrase appears: “accustomed to working under pressure.”
I admit it, when I see those job ads I get scared and an alarm goes off.
“Be careful,” I say to myself, because many times “under pressure” implies emergencies, shouting, stress, inadequate conditions…
If that’s the case, start running and don’t stop until you’re very, very far away.
Run away while you can!!
Because if the need to work under pressure is caused by work overload, very short deadlines or sudden changes in priorities, a bad sign.
Because if the need to work under pressure is caused by work overload, very short deadlines or sudden changes in priorities, a bad sign.
Translated: in that company there is a lack of personnel, planning and/or organization.
That’s not working under pressure: that’s being screwed.
Keep this in mind: working under pressure is a skill that not everyone has, which is why it is one of the most in-demand.
In fact, very few people have it, so if this is your case: exploit it! (I mean that you take advantage of it, not that you blow it up ).
And if you don’t have it, keep reading, I’ll tell you how to get it.
How to work under pressure?
The best way to deal with working under pressure is to learn how to deal with it and stay calm.
Breathe deeply and transform that bundle of nerves that have settled in your stomach into useful energy to resolve the situation.
Let me tell you something that will help you: working under pressure is a skill that can be learned and that can be developed with the right time and training.
And with experience.
Working under pressure is a learnable skill that can be developed with the right time and training.
Here are some tips that can help you:
- Organize and prioritize:
Organize your time by distinguishing what things are important and urgent and try to get them done in the morning, which is when creativity and productivity are greatest.
- Think from the customer’s point of view:
Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes will help you know which steps are at the top of the to-do list.
- Anticipate the problem:
Studying and considering possible future scenarios will help you so that when a setback arises you will be better prepared to face it calmly and with poise. And if you also establish an action plan for those cases, even better.
- Trust your team and delegate:
Assign each team member to the role that you know they can best perform and give them the necessary autonomy to carry it out.
- Don’t get distracted:
Getting involved in matters that do not directly concern your task is a waste of energy that will affect your work. Focus on what is important and where your contribution generates the most value for the company.
Focus on what is important and where your contribution generates the most value for the company.
- Visualize success:
The activities you do have a purpose, they are to reach a certain point, which is where you want to be. Don’t lose sight of that point, because that will help you motivate yourself and the team. Remember that if you panic, you won’t be able to think clearly and then the solution won’t appear.
- Disconnect from time to time:
Overload influences the loss of productivity and interest. Therefore, it is essential that you take time to not think about work and do activities that help you recharge your energy. Resetting can help you make the elusive solution appear.
- Measure the threat well:
Keep this in mind: the important thing is not what is causing the pressure, but how you react to it. Because there are many pressures. Or few. It all depends on how you experience it in the team, and in that you have a lot to say. Measure the threat in a real and objective way, ask for advice, lest an alarm goes off where there should only be a small alert.
- Don’t transfer all the pressure to the team:
One of your jobs as a leader is to be an umbrella. Yes, you read correctly, an umbrella that stops the acid rain that falls on the equipment. If you overload them, if you scare them, they will not work effectively and may break. Therefore, be careful what you communicate and how you communicate it.
- Congratulate, reward and celebrate:
When you have managed to successfully overcome the challenge that has been presented to you, take the opportunity to thank all the members of the team for their contribution, large or small, to the success. That will prepare them better for the future, because there will be more crises, you know.
And again, as I told you at the beginning, it is very important that you remain calm at all times.
Those who know how to work under pressure, this is the first thing they have learned to do: temper their emotions.