If you are feeling stressed at this very moment, raise your hand. I’m guessing that if you are a “Type A” personality, as many leaders are, your hand — at least metaphorically — is up.
Now take a deep breath and relax because a new study published in the January issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine suggests “One Type A Characteristic Lowers Stress.” — Read that article here.
Here’s how: Taina Hintsa and her colleagues at the University of Helsinki analyzed the relationship between Type A behavior and work stress in 752 Finnish workers. They broke Type A behavior into four areas — leadership, aggression, being “hard-driving,” and eagerness-energy.
Although these characteristics were linked to “effort-reward imbalance” — a key contributor to work stress—executives who scored high in terms of their leadership skills actually had lower work stress. And the reason seems obvious once you hear it. Researchers found that leaders have both high work effort and high work reward. They also believe that leaders have high job control and that that may help alleviate work stress.
So I encourage you to embrace your leadership skills and lower your stress level. My bet is that when you do, it’ll not only lower your own stress — but will improve the work environment for everyone in your office.
Read on in this month’s newsletter to learn about our work with the Lincoln Leadership Academy, how President Lincoln has become a fan of Twitter, and mark your calendar for some upcoming important dates.
Here’s to a great 2010!
Steven B. Wiley, president & founder
The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, www.lincolnleadershipinstitute.com