Performing Under Pressure

Mark Anderson, President of ExecuNet wrote the following recently. Thought I would share it. 


We've all been there... demanding boss, tight deadline, impossible project, too many demands and not enough resources. We've all had to manage the stress of being too busy and having too many responsibilities, but when you need to produce a specific response... that's when the pressure is really on. To do well in a pressure situation, it comes down to perspective. Approach the situation as an opportunity, not as a threat.

That's the advice world-renowned psychologist and pioneer in the field of pressure management, Dr. Hendrie Weisinger, shared in a conversation with ExecuNet CMO Anthony Vlahos about performing under pressure. Typically, we think that the great performers in life do better when under pressure, but Weisinger said that his research showed that they "simply don't do worse." It is their consistency, even when faced with pressure, that makes them top performers.

In addition to seeing pressure as an opportunity to excel, and visualizing solutions to obstacles, Weisinger suggests remembering that you are a good person independent of the outcome. Too many people, he said, tie their personal self-worth into their career success. Again, it comes down to maintaining proper perspective, and "not allowing yourself to become victimized by a pressure environment."

"Pressure anxiety is becoming the contemporary plague in corporate America," said Weisinger. This feeling of having to produce every day and wondering how much longer you can do it is exhausting. "Just focus on doing your best. Navigate your life based on what's important to you, your own interests, instead of pleasing another person. When you do this, pressure falls away," said Weisinger. Confidence, optimism, tenacity and enthusiasm are the attributes Weisinger's research identifies as the keys to performing best when the pressure is on.