How to Deal with Stress, the CEO-Killer

As a CEO, there are times you’re on top of the world: you closed a large round of funding, you landed a MAJOR client, you finally did “it”. But with those mountain tops come deep valleys—with stress-filled days and sleepless nights. In my experience—both as a CEO and in working with CEOs and other executive leaders to build and scale their businesses—I’ve seen the horrible things that stress can do. Without learning to manage my stress, I would have given up years ago, as so many others have done.

Luckily, it is never too late to start learning how to handle the stress-filled environment we find ourselves in as business leaders. My friend Mark Moses at CEO Coaching International has put together a brilliant field manual for coping with the pressures we face on a daily basis. I highly recommend reading the entire thing, but I’d like to share a few points that were particularly powerful for me:

“Do your job, not everyone else’s.”

These are words to live by! As the leader of a company you built from the ground up, it’s so hard to get out of the boot-strapping mentality of “If I want something right I need to do it myself.” You’ve built the team, now trust them to do what they’re good at. By not stressing over other people’s work, you can focus on doing your job: leading the company!

“Live your personal values.”

I’m a firm believer that the best businesses are led by servant leaders—a CEO who has found a purpose that’s greater than the bottom line. Your personal values are what make you who you are, don’t check them at the door at 8:00 am! Lead your business from the purpose that drives you—it will make your business better and make your life more fulfilling (and less stressful)!