Simple tips that can help executives handle stress

As an entrepreneur, you know what it means to be on your game.

Many times you’re under pressure because your personal performance will have a major impact on the success of your business.

All at once, you might be pitching your first new client, trying to land your firm’s largest customer, meeting with investors or preparing an industry speech.

Such situations are usually accompanied by stress that threatens to push you off track.

Here are some tips to help you stay focused and at your best when it matters the most.

I tell clients that you need to take care of yourself all the time if you want to be great some of the time.

In a Harvard Business Review article, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz also support this view by comparing executives to athletes.

Like athletes, corporate leaders must spend as much effort renewing energy as they do expending it by building physical, mental and spiritual endurance.

Think about it: You would never expect an athlete who doesn’t exercise, sleep, or fuel her body with healthy food to focus and excel. Yet this is exactly the regimen many entrepreneurs are training under. This might work for a while, but not if you want to be on your game for the longer term.

Physical conditioning is the underpinning of excellent performance.

But top athletes also combine techniques to stay focused before a big game. Here are some tricks that help manage stress before an important event:

Research the room

Learn everything you can about the people you’ll be meeting with. The more you know about the history and dynamics of the people involved, the better you’ll be able to anticipate the questions they will ask. Much stress comes from not knowing. The more knowledge you walk in with, the better you’ll feel.

Prepare and practice

Know the points you want to make, and practice them out loud. Rehearse your tone, cadence and body language. For group events, it’s helpful to stage the meeting ahead of time to determine who sits where and how to hand off different parts of the presentation so it flows naturally.

Visualise your success

The ability to visualise your success has been shown to improve your chances of achieving it.

As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Mentally go through a perfect scenario for how the meeting will go, including your peak performance. This should be an ongoing internal movie that you view a few times before the actual event.

Find your pre-game ritual

Many executives have their own version of a pre-game ritual that helps pump them up and makes them feel positive before walking into a big meeting.

I use laughter. If I’ve just been laughing and talking about something fun, I will carry those feelings into the meeting.

While driving to an important event, I find a way to laugh and trade entertaining stories with the other folks I’m going with. If I’m alone, I’ll call a friend.

Some people like to listen to their favourite rock band or even to relax quietly. Find what works for you, and do it consistently.

Breathe

When you’re about to go into the meeting or event, you can lose all the benefits of the upfront work if you allow stress to take over.

Without realising it, we tend to tighten our shoulders and clench our jaws.

Our blood pressure goes up, and the heart beats faster. An age-old cure for anxiety is to breathe deeply.

I suggest four counts in and three counts out. In just a few seconds, breathing can counter the physical effects of stress and keep them from taking over.

Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. Whether you plan to win or just finish, you’re training for the long term.

Hedges is the founder of The Hedges Company, a leadership development firm working with entrepreneurs and top executives to give them transformational tools for motivating and inspiring others.