How to Manage Your Anxiety as a Leader

Leaders are expected to stay composed under pressure, persevere through setbacks, make difficult decisions and keep going when others lose confidence. In most contexts, these qualities are invaluable. We admire the entrepreneur who kept going despite initial obstacles, the executive who steadied a company through a crisis and the manager who persevered to success when a project seemed to be failing. Determination and strength of will help to build, recover, adapt and make progress under adverse conditions.

However, when it comes to anxiety, the same qualities can become a trap.

Most leaders are used to solving problems through effort. If something is difficult, they work harder. If a situation is uncomfortable, they push through it. That approach can be highly effective when the problem is practical, strategic or operational. But anxiety is different. You cannot force an anxious thought to disappear through sheer determination. In fact, the harder you try to suppress, resist or overpower anxiety, the more power you give to it.

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