Leadership and Stress

Translated by Google Translate Lima, in Peru, is a city with a particular charm. During the winter, it is cold and gray, the clouds hide the sun, and the humidity of a coastal city contrasts with the sober atmosphere produced by the "panza de burro" (donkey belly) clouds, as the locals call them. In the summer, the city transforms; the sun and heat are the perfect ingredients to enjoy all the charms offered by the Peruvian capital and its surroundings. Something that remains in any season is its delicious gastronomy, for me, one of the best in the world, with world-class restaurants and exquisite dishes from the sea and land.

I arrived there in 2009, with my family and a suitcase full of dreams and the desire to achieve great goals, to face my first opportunity as General Manager.

Unfortunately, life has different lessons prepared for us, some framed in success and others the consequence of failures that allow us to grow, learn, and develop. The experience in Peru had one of these great lessons prepared for me. Quickly, my dreams of great things changed into harsh teachings that, in addition to many lessons, generated an excess of stress in my pursuit of leadership, which ended up sending me to the hospital. This experience made me rethink many aspects of life. "There is no other explanation than stress," that was the doctor's conclusion after performing multiple tests and finding that the only cause of my weakened immune system, which triggered a viral infection, had been that situation.

From that day on, I learned several things, including valuing my family and free time, having clear priorities and not allowing anything or anyone to affect them, and, above all, prioritizing my happiness and tranquility over other more trivial things.

I often encounter people who are not happy in their jobs. For some, it is not only unsatisfying but truly a daily suffering, a situation that not only affects them personally but can also put their health at risk. A few days ago, I listened to a conference by Simon Sinek about his book "Leaders Eat Last." In the talk, he explained the impact of some of our body's hormones and the effect they can have. In summary, when we find ourselves in a dangerous situation, for example, facing a wild animal, there are two hormones produced to protect us: adrenaline and cortisol. Both are very useful in this situation because they prepare our body and mind to defend ourselves or act in the face of danger. Adrenaline increases heart rate, raises blood pressure, and increases energy supplies; cortisol increases blood glucose and improves its use in the brain. Additionally, it limits some non-essential functions for the "fight," altering the immune system and suppressing the digestive, reproductive, and growth systems. While all of this is useful when defending ourselves against a threat, if the situation persists for a prolonged period, the health effects can be devastating.

It is true that today we do not regularly face wild animals, as our ancestors did, but being in a difficult situation professionally or personally, where we feel threatened, whether due to job insecurity, psychological or physical abuse, harassment, humiliation, fear of retaliation, etc., will keep us in a state of permanent stress that is not healthy. It is no coincidence that today cortisol is known as the "stress hormone," since when we are in any of these situations, we produce this substance more frequently, limiting other vital functions of our body. This is why when we are stressed, we are more prone to getting sick from things as simple as a cold or even other more complex conditions, such as heart problems, depression, etc.

Today, there is a lot of talk about "toxic cultures" in companies: places where working can not only be boring, to give it a simple label, but can actually represent a risk to people's health and have truly serious effects. What we must understand is that culture, as the set of norms, beliefs, values, and behaviors of an organization, is highly influenced and determined by leaders. These figures largely define what is right or wrong based on how they react and act in the face of certain situations, thus establishing the "example" of what is accepted or not within that environment. Consequently, leaders have a greater responsibility to ensure the integrity and health of their employees, as they are the ones who can have a direct impact on it.

Sometimes companies mistakenly believe that establishing policies will define the corporate culture. Policies are necessary to establish frameworks within which employees can move, but it is the managers who lead the implementation and respect of these policies, and ultimately who define the culture. For example, it is useless to establish remote work policies if there are leaders in the organization who do not respect them and demand their employees attend in-person meetings even when it is not necessary or do not distinguish the line between work hours and personal space.

Many years ago, I attended a medical consultation where the healthcare professional asked me what I did for a living. I replied that I held a managerial position in a company. Subsequently, he made this reflection: "The job of a Manager is important, but when you fail, the consequences are not achieving goals, losing money, eliminating job positions, etc. However, for us doctors, it is different. When we fail, the consequences can be much more serious; they can cost people their lives." I think it is a very valid reflection. The work of doctors is of vital importance, especially in times of pandemic like the ones we have experienced. But the work of a leader is also vital: if we understand the impact we can have on people, we will understand that our function transcends achieving goals and objectives and also involves benefiting the health of workers and helping them transform their lives.

I toast to the true leaders, those who not only impact the results of companies but also impact the lives of the people they interact with.