Coaching Churches

This has become one of the most serious issues I face every week for myself and the clients I work with.  It is no longer just about the lengthy work hours but the toxic culture we live in seemingly around the clock.  It’s almost like a dark cloud that follows us around that makes it even harder to see the glass half full.  This Coaches Council post was worth several reads:

“Our body is a complex and sophisticated system. Its goal is to keep our systems in an equal and balanced environment. In the medical world, this is called homeostasis. So, how sophisticated is our body really? Let’s take a look at our fight or flight system.

Fight or flight is part of self-preservation. When a threat occurs, our nervous system prepares us to stand and fight or flee the situation or threat.”

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For years I took my health for granted and eventually paid a high price for my neglect.  Sometimes its hard to accept that you have to make the hard decisions to eat right or work out before you gain the benefit of more energy and feeling better.  These same healthy habits will also more than anything else help you deal with stress.  This Fast Company post will get you started:

“Tis the season for stress. The holidays are crazy enough, but add in year-end deadlines and sales goals, performance reviews, and the news of yet another raise not given, and you can already feel your blood pressure rise. But there’s good news: You can still stay healthy, even when work is insane. It’ll just take a little extra effort.”

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Most studies indicate that some stress is good for most of us because its pushes us to be able to do our best work.  On the other hand, chronic stress is very harmful both to our performance and long term health.  Today if you are in leadership, then you must know how to deal with this ever present reality.  Great Forbes Coaches post:

“There are days when you can feel your nerves jangle and your teeth grit. There’s too much to do, and not enough time to do it in, and what you’re working absolutely must be right.  A little stress isn’t bad, but chronic stress, especially high stress, can create long-term health issues. While some people try and ignore the issue and push through, it’s not the best way to cope.”

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It takes five times more character to say No to someone than it does to say Yes.  We want to please the other person and in reality we don’t know at that moment what is really important from what is not.  So we simply say yes, only later to regret the decision because we don’t have the margin to get it all done.  This post by Rishawn Biddle is excellent:

“Sometimes you just have to say no. That isn’t always easy. But there are strategies that can help say no when you need to—and save your time, energy, and sanity in the process.  Motivational speaker Byron V. Garrett, my former boss at National PTA, often says that you only have twelve hours a day to take care of business. This means culling away the drive-bys and extraneous requests that can take away from achieving your goals.”

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Over the years I have been able to sustain excellence in the most stressful situations. As a matter of fact, that was my greatest strength and contribution to the organization. I have noticed over the last few years that the margin I have between demand and capacity is razor thin.  What used to be normal stress levels can now become overwhelming.  This HBR post is very helpful:

“Jack is well-known in his company for delivering growth through high-performing, cross-functional teams. Where others get stuck in silos, he fosters innovation through collaboration. But these days, when you exit the elevator on his floor, you sense fear wafting through the halls. He’s nine months into a new role as Business Unit Leader, and a lot has changed.”

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