When we think of pressure, we usually think of it negatively: pressure cooker, blood pressure, etc. When we have to make an important decision, we feel anxious, nervous, and even scared. But this isn’t a bad thing. This is our body’s way of going into turbo mode.
We’ve found in our research that staying calm under pressure is the #1 most important element in building executive presence and gravitas. People look at you as a leader when you project calm. But how do you do it, when your head’s about to explode from the pressure?
High-stress situations trigger our fight-or-flight instincts. When our body feels a high-pressure situation, it kicks into a higher gear—our thoughts move faster, we become more alert to our surroundings, and our survival instincts are activated. In any high-pressure situation our brain can stimulate us more than a six-pack of Red Bull or a triple espresso.
Going for the gold
Think about Olympic athletes. They’re in the ultimate high-pressure situation. They’ve been training for four years, and this is their one chance to achieve their dreams. How do they deal with the stress?
When Olympic skater Gracie Gold gets ready to go out on the ice, she spends her time not going over her routine in her head, but juggling hacky sacks. She’s prepared and has practiced her routine so many times, she knows all she has to do is relax and save her energy to channel into her performance.
How often have you had a high-stress event like a board meeting, an earnings call, an IPO road show launch, or job interview, where you spent so much time worrying, you were emotionally spent by the time the actual event took place?
Reframing
The legendary actress Helen Hayes said she used to get nervous before performing but she said the key was “ to get all your butterflies flying in formation.” You can channel nervous energy into positive energy. Don’t think, “This is horrible. They’re going to eat me alive.” Instead, do what psychologists call “reframing”—Say to yourself, “I’m excited to be here. If they challenge me, I can handle it, I’m prepared. Challenges just mean they’re engaged, rather than disengaged.”
Be excited.
Alison Wood Brooks of the Harvard Business School reported that “…research participants who were asked to give an impromptu three-minute talk scored higher on persuasiveness and confidence if they first said to themselves “I am excited,” in comparison with those who said “I am anxious” or explicitly tried to calm down. Similarly, karaoke singers who first said, “I am excited” scored an average of 81% on pitch, volume, and rhythm, compared with those who said “I am anxious” (69%) or “I am calm” (53%). People who are in a “high arousal” state tend to believe that calming down will help them perform, but it can be better to channel that arousal in a positive direction by being energetic and passionate.” (Harvard Business Review)
What we choose to do with all this energy is up to us. The worst-case scenario is we allow ourselves to go into panic mode. The best-case scenario is we channel and focus that energy to help us navigate a high-stakes situation and thrive.
What’s your gold?
What’s an upcoming event where you need to deliver a gold-medal-winning performance? What will you do before the event to change “I’m scared.” to “I’m excited.”?
Let us know in the comments below.