4 Ways to Grow from Stress

As we continue in this period of transition post-pandemic, many things remain in flux. Returning to the office? RTO put on hold? Already in the office but having trouble staying on task and remaining motivated? Not sure how to handle meetings—how many is too many?

There’s a lot of pressure … and it’s not just on managers. Sellers are feeling the stress and wondering what’s next too. Things are different at most stations, and as a manager, it’s important to recognize that this transitional period will be very difficult for some of your team. Having a mindset that says, “this is the way it is, let’s move on,” may seem like the best way to move forward, but your sellers may not see it that way.

They are looking for a leader who is willing to admit it may be hard, but that you’ll work through it as a team. Don’t dwell on the difficulties ahead but don’t ignore them either. Once you’ve acknowledged that times may be tough right now, there are ways you can help your team, and yourself, grow and create positive outcomes.

It’s called ‘post traumatic’ or ‘post stress’ GROWTH and can be facilitated in 4 ways:

1. Mastery. Getting better at something through doing that skill repeatedly and knowing the details. Sellers can study the sales process from diagnosis through close, and get better at asking questions to be the best marketing consultant they can be.
2. Pressure training. Once you know your methods and procedures, train with pressure. One of the tactics my daughter’s coach uses in softball is a fast-paced, chaotic drill done in practice to speed up the girls’ reaction time so that pressure moments in games feel like normal speed. Are your sellers doing that for their sales skills? Role-play for mastery and to anticipate objections and their reactions, so they stay calm and controlled. And how about you? How can you train to be pressure-tested?
3. Community. Determine the people you need to align with to find your success. Here’s a great sales meeting idea. Have your team (and you) write down the 5 people they want in their corner to help them achieve their goals. Explain that these 5 people should be top performers who utilize best practices. Another benefit … just realizing we have allies can help our minds get through a stressful situation.
4. Purpose. Know your purpose, on your team and with your family. Having a personal plan as well as a professional one allows for more growth. Name it, own it, plan for your purpose to be fulfilled.

Acknowledge the stress of this transitional period with your sellers. They’ll appreciate you for it and be more likely to buy in on the hard parts so the focus can be on what it needs to be on—growing revenue.