We have all had situations working with people who fly off the handle for little or no apparent reason.

Jim was a successful sales manager with whom I had the honor to work. When I met him, he was in jeopardy of losing his job. He had a history of being well respected by the company and his associates because of his ability to engage his teams in a supportive, driven manner. Job satisfaction for Jim and his team was high. The company was happy with his sales results and the team was happy being a part of that success.

But something had changed with him. He was distracted in meetings, demanding and short with the team. The once happy and productive leader had changed, which was affecting his team. His change of behavior led to a great deal of fear, stress and a productivity shut down within the team. His team and executives referred to him as “a ticking time bomb”.

It seemed like it happened overnight, but it had not. There were signs along the way that Jim and the team did not see. In my first meeting with Jim, he shared the stress he felt he was under. He had serious personal issues at home that, as much as he tried to separate, were creeping into his work.

He recognized he was affecting his team and his career. He did not like who he was becoming and was searching for a way to deal with it. He referred to himself as being in a downward spiral that he could not get out of.

Stress Intelligence training was implemented for Jim and his team. Through the training, they gained the ability to identify and manage their stress symptoms and behaviors. They learned to recognize those conditions in each other.

Stress Intelligence taught them how stress affects everyone in a unique way, and how the cycle of stress can lead individuals and those around them into high stress and burnout. With new information about how stress really works, and some practice doing simple mind/body exercises, they were able to change the way stress affects them.

Jim was able to manage his home stress, because he was more calm and able to work through the issues in a productive way. He regained the respect and commitment of his team and the company. The team was able to manage change in a more productive way and support each other during stressful times.

Contact me to learn how to enroll yourself and/or your team in a Stress Intelligence training program.

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A side note to this story...

During one of the Stress Intelligence training sessions, a team member asked,“Is there a way we can see the warning signs of severe stress before it becomes unmanageable?” Interestingly, I had just read an article written by good friend, whose company teaches people how to read faces to enhance skills in sales, customer service and team engagement. In her article, she shares the four visual stages of stress. It is a simple as observing symptoms through the eyes.

I’m happy to share this fascinating information with you. After reading Lin’s article, reach out to her to learn more about her Face Reading options. Our Eyes Are Indicators of Stress Level, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-eyes-indicators-stress-level-lin-klaassen/?published=t

Lin also offers a small PDF poster to put up in break rooms and offices; email her at lin@facereadingbylin.com and in the subject line put FREE STRESS POSTER and she will email it to you.