112 FREE SAMPLE OF^ SUCCESS UNDER STRESSjust for ourselves, but for everyone we work with as well. We want
to respond with the best available option to solve problems, main-
tain good relationships and conserve energy. That’s a Success Under
Stress response! One client described his transformation from a typi-
cal stress response to one he could control as, “It’s like I was driving a
clunky car that doesn’t turn well, and now I’ve stepped into a Porsche;
my performance is just superior.”
Let’s get even more specific about the experience you could have
when you are more in control of your response to challenging events
throughout the day. We’ll begin with an example. Here is the “Before”
scenario:
It’s 4 and you are at your desk. It’s been a busy day, but the end
is in sight. You and your spouse are due to meet at your 11-year-old
daughter’s end-of-the-year school play in two hours. Your boss calls
you into her inner sanctum. Crisis. The president of your division is
considering a strategic change, which would pull key resources away
from your group. Your boss needs you to put together a 10-minute
slide presentation on your big project for a meeting with the presi-
dent and senior management tomorrow morning at 9 . You’re not
exactly sure what she wants, but you begin to feel overwhelmed, so
you decide to leave her office and get started immediately.
On the way back to your desk, your thoughts are scattered: If
the number of people on your team were reduced, would you be in-
cluded? You tell yourself, “Don’t go there!” But you sense a hint of
panic setting in. You can feel your heart thumping. You imagine what
tomorrow’s meeting will be like. Why does the president want to hear
from you? What if you make a mistake or say something that the
president thinks is mundane? You get a pit in your stomach. You re-
call that your boss met with the president a week ago, so you wonder
why she’s only telling you about this now. You feel resentful, causing
your jaw to clench and your neck muscles to tighten.
You feel pressured to get the presentation done now because if
you miss your daughter’s play you will be inducted into the Bad Par-M
American Management Association / http://www.amanet.org