Stress Grit or Pearl?

Kevin Chamberlain founder of KChamberlainanadco

and

Peter Moore Senior Consultant

Hosts
Programme

What is stress?
Is it expensive?
Stress and performance
Grit or Pearl?
Irritants
Interventions
Self management
Q and A
What is stress?

• 1658 Hooke’s law has been the basis for discovering the relationship
between an external force and the proportional amount of
deformation and strain produced in the receiving object.
• 1932 Walter Cannon - flight, fight or freeze
• 1936 relating to humans and other animals relates to the work of
Hans Selye in who defined it as "the non-specific response of the
body to any demand for change."
Raised Cortisol

Sudden burst of energy for survival

Increased memory
Improved vision
Increased immunity
Reduced sensitivity to pain and bodily
 repair (hydrocortisone)
cortisol failing to fall back

Impaired cognitive functioning

Higher blood pressure
Decreased bone density
Decreased muscle density
Lowered immunity
Increased body fat, cholseterol, IBS
etc
Some Physical Stress Signs

Heart palpitations
Digestion problems
Breathlessness
Tiredness
Allergies
Recurring illness
Emotional signs

Anxiety
Feeling helpless
Loss of confidence/ low self esteem
Lack of concentration
Irritability
Behavioural

Poor work performance

Prone to accidents
Increased consumption of comforters
Changed sleep pattern
Poor libido
Overly emotional
Is It Expensive?

Cost of absence in 2007 £13.2bn

(CBI)
 Colds, back problems and stress
 £530m (2005/6) - 14m days (HSE)
Legal Issues?

Health, Safety and Welfare Act 1974

 The Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations 1999 (including the Approved Code of
Practice) 1999
 Assess (Risk assess the generics and specifics)
 Take precautions eg EAP schemes
 Common sense and reasonable (mental issues harder to
understand than physical)
Stress and performance
Understanding Uniqueness
Grit or Pearl

 thoroughly irritated
 takes repeated action - calcium carbonate
and conchiolin
 pearl
Seeing stress as call for action

W. Clement Stone and Napoleon

Hill - inspirational dissatisfaction
Some of the irritants we hear
about
Time management/assertivenss
Lack of clarity
eg. out of date job descriptions, unclear reporting
procedures, poor project management

Inability to handle ambiguity

Job security
Ideas blocked
Lack of recognition
Interventions
Recruitment

Objectivity
Skills fit
Personality fit
Track record
Interventions
Direct
Job redesign
Process improvement
Rebalanced work loads
Promotion/demotion
Sabbatical
Support
Coaching

Goal clarification
Strengths clarification
Reflective learning
Not firefighting
Coaching

Discovery - exploring learning and

strengths/positives
 Dream - imagining what could be
 Design - exploring the the what when
why and how
 Destiny - making it happen
Counselling

Work related counselling

Clinically significant reduction in 60-
75% of clients
 Reduced Sickness and accidents
 Clients feel leant something of value
The British Journal of Psychiatry (2003)
Self Managing Stress
Avoidance coping
Emotion focused

Action - orientated/Problem focused

Self Managing

Stuff
See ‘stress’ as a call to action
Gratitude
Say ouch
Be inspired
Use your strengths