Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 13, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 19 Intelligent BUSINESS Solutions We Believe in a Be er Approach. ICCreditUnion.org Bruce Mathieu Senior Vice President Business Development Officer Federally Insured by NCUA COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FINANCING For info, email: businessbanking@iccreditunion.com or call: 978.353.1331 New Purchases New Construc on Refinancing Term Notes & Lines of Credit also available! I t's lonely enough at the top, but CEOs and small business owners must be feeling lonelier than usual these days. In this pandemic, CEOs are facing in- creased anxiety, depression and stress, and must not let it roll downhill to top staff. Employees and management are re- manded to their home office environs, and the leadership team is working doubly hard to main- tain business functions, engage with a suddenly or expanded distributed workforce, and, for some, client activity and sales have come to a halt. e phone may have stopped ringing, and depending on your industry, customers have already told you not to call on them for the fore- seeable future. Everyone is dealing, to varying degrees of success, with a new back- ground anxiousness due to the social distancing and other restraints. Revenue may be down, and U.S. Small Business Administration loans and grants are not yet showing up in your bank account. So, why would those at the helm and their leadership team not be feeling the same fears and anxieties that employees, families and custom- ers face? Employees at all levels have to pause and acknowledge their feel- ings so that they maintain emotional self-control. You see, business leaders have to show leadership skills and lead! at requires, for some, a stoic posture, and for all it requires more empathy, support, compassion, pa- tience and (still) demonstrating sound business decisions. Aside from steering the ship on a steady course, you still can chart your destiny by focusing on what you can control. It starts with controlling your own emotions. How does the saying go? It matters most how we react to what we are faced with… or words to that effect. So, in part, the level of calm or anx- iety across your company is in large part based on how you react. Lose it, and it flows downhill. Demonstrate strong leadership, and the anxiety starts to diminish amongst the troops. ere has never been a better time for practicing mindfulness at work, and mindful living in general. Words matter. Decisions and action (or inaction) all matter and will impact that destiny you were charting before this crisis. is is about you for the moment. How well you master your emotional self-control and anxiety management will factor into your rising out of the phoenix on the other side of this. Here are some tips to manage your own anxiety levels as you step up to new situations as a magi- cian balancing optimism and day to day reality: • Practice increased mindfulness at work. Increase your present moment awareness as you boost morale and engagement. Go read Vice Admiral James Stockdale's speech Courage Under Fire. Hint: Epictetus, Seneca and Aurelius, which has some insights. • CEOs espouse the value of more sleep for employees. Your turn. A few deep breaths and say "I am sleeping now." Works. Perfected by U.S. Army in World War II, learn to sleep hyp- notically. • Practice self-hypnosis and relax- ation. is keeps you calm, relaxed, and in control of emotions. It is easy to learn as is the anti-anxiety self-hug. (I'll teach you). • Maintain healthy practices to keep you sharper mentally, physically, behaviorally, and spiritually. • Fight self-sabotage and the doldrums? e glass is full, not half full. ink, act, be positive. Do not go down that slippery slope. ink resilience. Finally, remember to smile oen. Your employees and customers are counting on it, and the endorphins make you feel better. Bob Martel is a consultant and board-certified hypnotist at Positive Results Hypnosis in Holden, special- izing in hypnotherapy for stress and anxiety, performance coaching and self-mastery. Reach him at bob@ bobmartel.com for consultation or regarding this article. How CEOs can manage their anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic W MANUFACTURING S U M M I T & EXCELLENCE AWARDS WBJ Worcester Business Journal PROUD SPONSOR OF THE PO Box 1203 South Lancaster, MA 01561 978-368-0131 www.jamesmonroewire.com The James Monroe Wire and Cable Corporation is a privately held company with forty years of industry experience manufacturing electronic and electrical wire and cable products. • Commercial Wire and Cable • Custom and Specialty Wire and Cable • Elevator Wire and Cable • Industrial Wire and Cable Guest Column BY BOB MARTEL

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