Why Leaders Offer Help with Stress But Ignore Its Triggers: A Wake-Up Call

Summary: Stress is no stranger to the modern workplace. Deadlines, performance reviews, and balancing personal and professional lives create a pressure cooker environment. Many leaders recognize stress’s toll on their teams, offering perks like yoga classes, meditation apps, or flexible work hours. Yet, one crucial element often gets overlooked: the root causes of stress. The impact of stress won’t go away until you learn how to deal with it personally.

Dear Dr. Sylvia,

The holiday season is here.

I am noticing more days that include upset and arguing within my company.

Therefore, I need some help.

While I am doing everything right, like giving PTO to prepare for the holidays, it’s not working as I hoped.

For example, too many claim burnout and backstabbing by colleagues.

In short, please give me some ideas I can share with the teams so this holiday season can be remembered as happy, better yet, even happier than other years.

Signed,

Santa in Training

Stress increases during the holiday season; it requires extra attention.

Dear Santa In Training,

The pressure to make the holidays like a Hallmark card is embedded in us from an early age.

Both home and work would benefit from a deeper understanding of holiday stress.

During holidays, many of us become addicted to perfection. It never worked in the past, and it won’t work now.

Let’s go for a time of vitality rather than burnout. Also, a time of approval instead of back-biting.

Leaders mean well, but their efforts may fall short if they don’t look deeper.

Let’s explore why this disconnect exists, the consequences, and how to address it with practical solutions inspired by my book, Invisible Stress: It’s NOT What YOU Think.

The Disconnect: Why Triggers Are Ignored

Leaders often focus on stress relief strategies that seem universal—offering short-term relief. However, they may not realize that:

Triggers Are Personal: Each individual has unique stressors shaped by past experiences, habits, and emotional patterns. Blanket solutions don’t address these nuances.

Invisible Stress Is Hard to See: As I detail in Invisible Stress, much of the stress we experience comes from unconscious triggers. Leaders may not recognize these patterns or understand their origins.

Quick Fixes Are Tempting: It’s easier to implement company-wide programs than to help employees dive into the deeper work of understanding behaviors and their root causes.

The Cost of Ignoring Stress Triggers

Failing to address the underlying causes of stress can lead to significant challenges, including:

• Employee Turnover: When stress persists, employees seek new opportunities to escape toxic environments.
• Reduced Productivity: Employees under chronic stress may struggle with focus, creativity, and efficiency.
• Increased Absenteeism: Stress-related illnesses and burnout lead to missed workdays and strained team dynamics.
• Damaged Culture: Unresolved triggers can create a workplace filled with resentment, blame, and miscommunication.

Turning Awareness Into Action

To create meaningful change, leaders must address both the stress employees feel and the triggers that cause it. Here are actionable steps to get started:

1. Understand Invisible Stress

In Invisible Stress, I emphasize that stress often hides beneath the surface. Leaders must learn to identify “invisible stressors,” such as unresolved family patterns or self-sabotaging behaviors that manifest at work.

Example: An employee labeled as “difficult” may actually be reacting to a deep-seated fear of failure, rooted in childhood experiences. Instead of dismissing their behavior, leaders can help uncover the underlying issue.

2. Foster Open Communication

Encourage employees to discuss stress triggers in a nonjudgmental environment. This can be done through:

One-on-One Meetings: Use these sessions to listen and uncover stress points.

Anonymous Surveys: Ask employees what causes their stress and what they think could alleviate it.

3. Teach Emotional Awareness

Training employees and leaders to recognize emotional triggers is transformative. Workshops and team-building exercises can help individuals understand their reactions and learn healthier coping mechanisms.

Key Idea from Invisible Stress: Practice “safe stress” by creating a space where employees can express themselves without fear of judgment or retaliation.

4. Shift From Short-Term Fixes to Long-Term Solutions

While yoga sessions and wellness apps are helpful, they must be complemented by strategies that target stress at its source.

Conflict Resolution Training: Equip teams with tools to manage interpersonal issues, a major stress trigger.

Redesign Workflows: Ensure workloads are reasonable and align tasks with individual strengths.

5. Lead by Example

Leaders who manage their own stress effectively inspire their teams. Share personal strategies, acknowledge your triggers, and demonstrate how to address them constructively.

Example: If you struggle with perfectionism, openly discuss how you’ve learned to overcome unrealistic expectations and focus on progress over perfection.

The Future of Stress-Free Leadership

Workplace stress isn’t going anywhere, but leaders have the power to reduce its impact by addressing triggers head-on. It’s time to move beyond surface-level solutions and dig deeper into what’s really causing stress for employees.

By implementing the strategies above, organizations can transform stress-filled environments into thriving, supportive workplaces. And remember: Invisible Stress offers a roadmap for uncovering hidden stressors and creating lasting change.

Together, we can rewrite the narrative of workplace stress—not as an unavoidable reality, but as a challenge we can overcome.

To your success,

Sylvia Lafair

For more insights on how to tackle invisible stress, grab your copy of Invisible Stress: It’s NOT What YOU Think. It’s time to uncover the unseen and create a workplace that empowers everyone to succeed.