I’ve recently taken over as MD from my father and the pressure and stress is having a huge impact on my performance. are there any therapies which can help me on a day-to-day basis?
Be honest with yourself as to where the pressure and stress is coming from. The pressure may be to show your father that you can perform well and to live up to your father’s expectations rather than actually carrying out the role of MD. You could actually seek some guidance from your father as he had the confidence in you to take over the position.
Being the MD of a company can be a very lonely place and seeking help can be difficult. There was a time when pressure and stress were seen as very good tools to get the best out of people in executive positions but now that we understand their harmful effects, it is in everyone’s interest to avoid excessive amounts.
I would suggest that learning relaxation techniques via Visualisation (Focusing the Mind) would be the first thing to do. Then make changes to lifestyle and working practices with the use of Cognitive Behavioural Coaching which makes helpful changes to daily behaviour, activities, interaction and thinking patterns.
It is very much like a two pronged approach, avoiding excessive pressure and stress and managing acceptable levels of pressure and stress. As with most things, teaching avoidance is far better than allowing the situation to develop.
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