Summary. Our emotional state — such as feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and apprehension — can rub off on our team negatively impact their work performance and wellbeing. This is called emotional contagion, and it’s not uncommon. Since many workplaces have transitioned to a hybrid model, it’s imperative that, as a new manager, you pay attention to how you communicate with your teams, even in virtual settings.
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Imagine this: You’ve just landed your first management role, and you’re eager to prove yourself a great leader. You and your team are preparing to give a presentation to an important client. If the meeting goes well, it will be a huge success and could even impact your professional growth.
As the date grows closer, you start to feel stressed and anxious. You’re constantly messaging your team and checking in on the status of the final slides. You’re sending them daily reminders counting and asking, “We can really do this, right?” You even posted a meme on LinkedIn and asked the community how they cope with stress.
Why are you behaving this way?
It’s because you’re experiencing state anxiety — a transitory emotional state that often involves intense feelings of nervousness or apprehension. You may think that you’re the only one suffering, but unfortunately, anxiety can rub off on the people surrounding you and negatively impact their work performance and wellbeing. In this case, that’s your team. If you keep it up, you may end up setting everyone up to fail.
Understanding Emotional Contagion
As a new leader, it is important to recognize that your own anxiety can spread to others, including colleagues, subordinates, and even senior managers. Recent research shows that while a certain amount of anxiety can help motivate people, too much of it can do the opposite. When employees experience chronic anxiety, it can lead to lower job satisfaction and reduced performance. When constantly feeling anxious is encouraged by the broader culture of an organization, it can also contribute to widespread burnout. When similar emotional responses quickly spread among a group of people it’s known as emotional contagion. This phenomenon is not uncommon, and it can (and often does) start with one person.
Studies in behavioral science have shown that nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language, can trigger emotional contagion. While the majority of existing leadership studies focus on emotional contagion in face-to-face interactions, this doesn’t mean leaders working and communicating virtually are out of the woods. Our own research has found that it can also be triggered through the interactions we have online.
What Our Research Found
In two recent studies, we observed leaders and followers interacting through social media. Over a span of 316 days (both before and during the pandemic), we analyzed the tweets of 197 leaders across 79 organizations. We used machine learning algorithms to track the anxiety and personality traits displayed in the tweets of both the leaders and their 958 collective followers. We defined a leader as a top manager within an organization who had enough public status and authority to influence employees at every level. The other employees in our dataset were defined as followers.
Our anxiety detection algorithm was originally trained by 604 human raters who analyzed 3,020 tweets and rated each based on how likely the tweeter was to feel anxiety-related emotions — like intensity, sadness, and worry — at the time of publication. Our raters found that anxious tweets often contained negative words (afraid, worried, uncertain) and repetitive language. Another strong indicator of anxiety was excessive punctuation (overusing exclamation and question marks). Importantly, we analyzed all tweets that the leaders posted, not just the work-related ones.
In our first study, we looked at the effects a leader’s anxiety can have on their followers. We found that all tweets, including those that were personal and unrelated to their organization, had the power to impact their followers. When leaders who were not typically anxious suddenly posted anxious tweets, the anxiety they expressed had the potential to increase their followers’ anxiety right away and last for up to two days.
Some leaders expressed high trait anxiety, a tendency to feel anxious across many situations. These leaders were naturally inclined to perceive situations as more threatening and focus on negative information. We found that their followers were accustomed to persistent heightened anxiety, and therefore, were sometimes less impacted when their leader displayed increased levels of stress.
Finally, in a second study, we found that followers also have the power to impact the level of anxiety their leaders experience. This effect was particularly relevant as the pandemic continued to develop and employees began to realize that online communication was here to stay. We also found that the hierarchical distance between the leader and the follower mattered. Anxious tweets from directors or heads of departments influenced leaders much more than similar tweets from entry-level employees.
Consider the Impact of your Words Online
Since most workplaces have transitioned to a hybrid model, it’s imperative that, as a new manager, you pay attention to how you communicate with your teams in virtual settings. A hard lesson to learn as a leader is that your team is constantly observing you. They rely on you for guidance and reassurance. This means that what you say is as important as how you say it. Use the following tips to practice more mindful online communication — on social media accounts where you’re followed by your team members, on messaging platforms like Slack, and in your email exchanges.
Be mindful of what you post online and how often you post.
Understand that your social media activity can impact your team anxiety, even when you are not physically present and even when you are not talking about work. Simply stating that your views are your own is not enough — regardless of your status and position within your organization. If your team members follow you, pay attention to the language you use and try to avoid some of the markers of anxiety mentioned above (negative words, excessive punctuation, and so on).
You should also pay attention to how often you post. Posting too much information at once may overwhelm your follows and significantly changing the frequency of when you regularly post may alarm them. For example, while the number of daily tweets went up overall during the pandemic, less anxious leaders started posting at an ever-increasing rate — sometimes more than 20 times per day. This, in turn, was likely to increase the anxiety their followers were experiencing.
On messaging platforms, consider the tone and content of your words.
Remember that written communication can be easily misinterpreted, so always aim for clarity and honesty. Consider this example: “Team, I’m really stressed about this upcoming presentation… I’m not sure if I’ve covered everything, and I can’t stop worrying about how it’ll go. What if we mess up!? Can anyone double-check my work or give me some feedback ASAP??” Note the anxiety shining through.
Now, consider this: “Hey team, I’ve been working on the presentation for tomorrow’s client meeting. I’d appreciate it if someone could review it and provide some feedback to ensure we’re on the right track. Let’s make sure we deliver a great presentation together!”
You can see how the second phrasing makes you feel collected and calm, even when you read that the leader is feeling frustrated. This is because it provides balance by highlighting what else could be done to ameliorate the situation.
Finally, like posting online, bombarding your team with multiple messages or emails is likely to increase their anxiety, and may even lead them to either ignore your emails or postpone replying. Wait for your team members to respond to your first message before sending two or three more.
Pay attention to the tone of your team member’s messages.
Looking at their punctuation can be a telling indicator of anxiety. For example, when a colleague uncharacteristically starts finishing all their Slack messages with a period, it could signal that something is not quite right and that they are anxious or stressed. If you sense anxiety, address them calmly, and provide reassurance to the best of your ability.
Let’s say, for instance, that a team member comments on your Slack group: “I wonder what’s going to come out of this merger. Should we be worried?” Instead of staying silent or responding with, “Ah, well…. Time will tell,” you could say: “I hear you, but let’s continue to work as we always have. We’ve been delivering great results, and I’m really proud of this team. I’m not worried, but I’m happy to chat and clarify your concerns to the best of my knowledge.”
Clear, concise, and honest information can help reduce uncertainty and alleviate anxiety. By encouraging an open and respectful dialogue, you’ll promote a more positive and supportive work culture.
Be vulnerable.
As a leader, your responsibility doesn’t just include making strategic decisions or managing your employees’ workload. You are also tasked with providing safe workspaces in which your employees can thrive. Displaying vulnerability is one way to foster greater trust and collaboration within your team.
It is crucial, however, to share your vulnerability in a thoughtful and measured manner, so as not to alarm employees or undermine your leadership. For example, instead of saying: “I’m struggling a lot as a leader, and I often feel overwhelmed and lost. It’s tough to make decisions and face challenges. I need your support and guidance to keep moving forward,” you could say: “As a leader, I recognize that I don’t have all the answers and face challenges too. But I’m committed to embracing learning from our team’s collective wisdom. Your support and collaboration make us stronger. Let’s continue grow together.” In the second instance, you are sharing how you feel but also reiterating your confidence in your team and the positive direction you are headed. You’ve just opened the floor for honest dialogue while simultaneously creating an environment that encourages mutual understanding and a strong sense of unity.
. . .
By taking these steps to address anxiety in professional communications, you can foster a more productive and healthy work environment in your new leadership role. Set the example your employees need, and you will be one step closer to being a truly great leader.
FAQs
How do CEOS deal with anxiety? ›
Seek Balance. The most important thing that any CEO, leader, or entrepreneur can do to become and remain a successful businessperson is to seek balance. Make sure to include enough time for hobbies, loved ones, and business in your life so that anxiety remains under control and doesn't influence your performance.
How do you become a leader with anxiety? ›- Label what you're feeling. ...
- Play detective. ...
- Sort out the probable from the possible. ...
- Control what you can. ...
- Develop techniques for situations you can't control. ...
- Make good decisions. ...
- Practice healthy communication.
Many successful leaders react to anxiety by working harder, holding themselves and others to an impossibly high standard or trying to control things that are beyond their power. Some think of it as a “good work ethic,” but often perfectionism and overwork only cause further anxiety — in yourself and others.
How do managers cause stress? ›“When a manager neglects to say good morning, snaps at an employee or fails to acknowledge or support an employee, it causes stress. All people want to feel valued and safe. When managers are disrespectful, inconsistent, show favoritism, etc., it creates an unsafe environment.”
Why do high achievers have anxiety? ›High-achievers can often be found perpetuating their anxiety. For example, the high-achiever often has so much on their plate which increases stress and anxiety, and often have difficulty saying “no” thus overcommitting or overextending themselves. Saying “no” is especially difficult for people-pleasing high-achievers.
Why is anxiety so powerful? ›Why is anxiety so powerful? Anxiety is there to keep us safe. It is a call to action to fight or flee so we can move through danger. It's there to keep us out of the way of trouble so the signals it sends have to be strong.
How do you manage team members with anxiety? ›It's important to remember to be sympathetic and understanding as it goes a long way to helping them feel heard. Encourage them to speak about how their anxiety is preventing work and together with them, come up with reasonable adjustments that'll help to resolve this.
How do you push through anxiety at work? ›- Work! In addition to financial reasons, working can be important for your self-esteem and it adds to your social identity.
- Tell a trusted coworker. ...
- Educate yourself. ...
- Practice time management. ...
- Plan and prepare. ...
- Do it right the first time. ...
- Be realistic. ...
- Ask for help.
As humans, with brains hard-wired to experience fear and distress, we face a dilemma. We can't force negative emotions to leave our brains, yet covering them up can lead to worse problems. And paying too much attention to them can create a downward spiral.
Do people with anxiety succeed? ›In truth, some anxiety and stress are actually good for performance, pushing the person to achieve. What's different about those with Type A personality is that they've learned how to turn their stress and anxiety into a motivating factor that helps them succeed, rather than getting in their way.
What should leaders not tolerate? ›
Successful leaders don't have the time or patience for indecision. They understand that to achieve success, you must put aside fear and doubt, pick a course and stick to it. Their decisions are grounded in knowledge and strategic thought, but they don't waffle or create subcommittees to examine every detail first.
Do people with anxiety succeed in life? ›High-functioning anxiety typically propels the person forward rather than leaving them frozen in fear. As a result, they often appear very successful in work and life—which might be objectively true if that success is measured only in achievements.
What is the most stressful role of manager? ›Meeting deadlines is one of the most stressful things for managers. They are constantly under pressure to get things done on time and often feel like they are not meeting the demands of their position. To meet deadlines, managers often have to put in long hours and work weekends.
How do leaders handle pressure? ›The best leaders know how to manage expectations—they know when to say yes and how to say no. Stay focused and alert. Even with tremendous pressure in every direction to get things done, if you keep your mind firmly focused you can complete the task at hand.
Can a bad boss cause stress? ›Having a bad boss can make you miserable, but now we know it can also make you sick. Recent research shows that as many as 77% of employees experience physical symptoms of stress from bad bosses. And it's not just a lack of energy or a low-level headache—the things we commonly associate with stress.
What is an anxious achiever personality type? ›Anxious achievers are employees who, at least in part, fuel positive work performance with via symptoms of anxiety. Constantly worrying about not doing enough or something going wrong drives them to always go the extra mile, but with a cost. For them, work is never 'done'.
What happens to the brain when anxiety is high? ›Anxiety happens when a part of the brain, the amygdala, senses trouble. When it senses threat, real or imagined, it surges the body with hormones (including cortisol, the stress hormone) and adrenaline to make the body strong, fast and powerful.
Who gets anxiety the most? ›Women are more than twice as likely as men to get an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Anxiety disorders are often treated with counseling, medicine, or a combination of both. Some women also find that yoga or meditation helps with anxiety disorders.
How do I accept anxiety and not fight it? ›- Practice mindfulness. ...
- Journal. ...
- Make sure you are meeting your needs. ...
- Ask yourself what's most important. ...
- Challenge unhelpful thoughts. ...
- Move around. ...
- But don't avoid.
Many experts will say that if you are working to achieve a positive goal then you should push through the anxiety that comes up as you step outside the comfort zone. The idea being that if you push yourself through the anxiety you will get past it and achieve what you are wanting.
How do you calm an anxious employee? ›
Try to get an idea of what triggers their anxiety and what kind of support they might need. Reassure them that you're there to help and support them. It's important you don't make assumptions here and that you promise absolute confidentiality.
How do you calm down a team? ›- 1 - Cultivate psychological safety. ...
- 2 - Opt for asynchronous communication (rather than real-time) ...
- 3 - Treat meetings as a last resort for calm team management. ...
- 4 - Set boundaries for work and personal life.
Maintain clear, open and regular communication. 'The unknown' is a common cause of anxiety, for both employees and their managers. Negate the effects of this by maintaining clear, open and regular face-to-face communication with your team members.
What does anxiety look like at work? ›Experiencing a workload that is overly high. Having a lack of direction on tasks. Experiencing a lack of perception of fairness. Feeling a lack of control over the work environment.
How do you calm someone with anxiety? ›gently let them know that you think they might be having a panic attack and that you are there for them. encourage them to breathe slowly and deeply – it can help to do something structured or repetitive they can focus on, such as counting out loud, or asking them to watch while you gently raise your arm up and down.
What are signs of high functioning anxiety? ›- Constantly overthinking and overanalyzing.
- Fear of failure and striving for perfection.
- Insomnia and fatigue.
- The need to please others and difficulty saying no.
- Tendency to dwell on past mistakes.
- Nervous habits such as nail-biting, hair twirling, or leg shaking.
feeling tense, nervous or unable to relax. having a sense of dread, or fearing the worst. feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down. feeling like other people can see you're anxious and are looking at you.
How can you tell if someone has anxiety? ›- Feeling nervous, restless or tense.
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom.
- Having an increased heart rate.
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating.
- Trembling.
- Feeling weak or tired.
- Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry.
Toxic leaders consistently use dysfunctional behaviors to deceive, intimidate, coerce, or unfairly punish others to get what they want for themselves." Toxic leaders tend to also be toxic team members and colleagues. Some are hard-working individuals and loyal to their organizations.
What are traits of a bad leader? ›- 1 - Know it all attitude. We tend to think of managers and leaders in work as being incredibly knowledgeable people about the job. ...
- 2 - Lack of customer focus. ...
- 3 - Inability to create a company culture. ...
- 4 - Lack of ambition/vision. ...
- 5 - Poor communication. ...
- 6 - No adaptability. ...
- 7 - Micromanagement. ...
- 8 - Avoiding conflict.
What are bad team leader behaviors? ›
Bad Leadership Behaviors include inefficient communication, lack of concern, lack of transparency, lack of trust, expanded ego, poor delegation abilities, inability to listen to staff, and so on.
Can someone with anxiety hold a job? ›People with anxiety disorders often thrive in low stress careers well suited to their personality and in surroundings that allow them to maintain a healthy, happy, and productive work life. It may be a surprise to learn that anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions in the United States.
How many years can you live with anxiety? ›From the time of diagnosis, an anxiety disorder can last from a few months to many years. Most people will have symptoms of an anxiety disorder for a long time before seeking professional help, sometimes up to 15 years³.
Do people with anxiety live less long? ›Sadly, chronic anxiety does more than affect your life quality. It can also significantly shorten your lifespan. Anxiety that's experienced all of the time is also a doorway to drug or alcohol addiction. Many people who suffer from chronic anxiety use drugs or alcohol to promote feelings of relief.
What is the hardest role of a manager? ›- Taking the Party Line. ...
- Liaising Between Organizational Levels. ...
- Using Team Input Effectively. ...
- Making Challenging Decisions. ...
- Adapting Management Style to Employee Needs. ...
- Providing Useful and Timely Feedback. ...
- Keeping the Pace of Work. ...
- Asking for Help.
Communicating effectively with employees
This creates one of the biggest challenges for managers – bridging the distance with effective and timely communication skills. Good managers need to develop advanced listening and speaking skills as they play a huge role in the success of their team.
- Surgeon. It's no surprise that this career sits atop the list. ...
- Police Officer. This profession that has become even more stress-filled in the last few years. ...
- Firefighter. ...
- Social Worker. ...
- Paramedic.
- Take deep breaths. ...
- Practice active listening. ...
- Consider all approaches. ...
- Admit your fear. ...
- Consider your team's needs. ...
- Control your expectations. ...
- Set boundaries. ...
- Delegate your tasks.
In such a situation it's important that you maintain your own sense of professionalism and composure. Don't allow them to drag you down to their level. Maintain any necessary records of all that is going in, making sure also that you follow the correct disciplinary procedures when necessary.
What is a calm leader? ›Calm leaders bring a level of maturity and stability that is often lacking during turbulent times. Calm leaders know that their actions, attitudes, reactions, and thinking go a long way in determining successful outcomes. Calm leaders are not passive leaders, nor are they passionless.
What to do when your boss is affecting your mental health? ›
The two-pronged approach to take when your boss may be experiencing mental health issues is to 1) find strategies that reduce the stress their illness causes for you; 2) do what you can to encourage your boss to seek wellness. Finally, if none of these work, my advice to you is to take care of your own mental health.
How do I protect my mental health from a toxic boss? ›- Make the decision to stay or go. The first step in dealing with a toxic boss is to make a realistic decision about whether to stay or go. ...
- Do the work: Don't be a target. ...
- Don't get drawn in. ...
- Don't gossip. ...
- Keep detailed records. ...
- Don't derail your career. ...
- Remember, it's not forever.
- Fatigue.
- Muscular tension.
- Headaches.
- Heart palpitations.
- Sleeping difficulties, such as insomnia.
- Gastrointestinal upsets, such as diarrhoea or constipation.
- Dermatological disorders.
- Take Time Out. Many CEOs hear the words 'slow down' and they laugh at such an impossible suggestion. ...
- Understand Your Triggers. ...
- Get 7-9 Hours Of Sleep Per Night. ...
- Schedule The Important Things. ...
- Take Breaks Throughout The Day. ...
- Final Words.
High-functioning anxiety typically propels the person forward rather than leaving them frozen in fear. As a result, they often appear very successful in work and life—which might be objectively true if that success is measured only in achievements.
Do CEOs have mental health issues? ›Many CEOs ignore the warning signs of mental health issues, such as anxiety, sleeplessness, fatigue and so on. Instead, they turn to unhealthy quick-fix solutions, such as increased alcohol consumption, substance abuse, gambling, and self-medication. They feel that keeping a lid on their own problems is paramount.
How do employers deal with anxiety? ›Lead by being supportive and do everything you can to ensure employees don't feel alone with their challenges, especially around mental health. One of the best ways to demonstrate this support is by having leadership share their own mental health story. When it comes from the top down, it changes everything.
How do good managers manage stress at work? ›Make sure workers are taking regular breaks, and be sure to take them yourself. Encourage employees to exercise daily, take time for friends or a significant other after work, pursue hobbies, listen to music and take time off.
How can a leader manage the stress of employees in an organization? ›- Encourage Breaks. ...
- Listen. ...
- Encourage Team Bonding. ...
- Allow Flexible Work Schedules.
As a CEO, dealing with conflict can be a rough road. Even for the most seasoned leaders, it's still an intimidating and uncomfortable situation to be in. Despite the difficulties, make an effort to help your team tackle conflict with sincerity and open minds. Dealing with conflict correctly is important for a CEO.
What are signs of high-functioning anxiety? ›
- Constantly overthinking and overanalyzing.
- Fear of failure and striving for perfection.
- Insomnia and fatigue.
- The need to please others and difficulty saying no.
- Tendency to dwell on past mistakes.
- Nervous habits such as nail-biting, hair twirling, or leg shaking.
Many experts will say that if you are working to achieve a positive goal then you should push through the anxiety that comes up as you step outside the comfort zone. The idea being that if you push yourself through the anxiety you will get past it and achieve what you are wanting.
What personality are most CEOs? ›CEOs tend to be predominantly enterprising individuals, which means that they are usually quite natural leaders who thrive at influencing and persuading others. They also tend to be investigative, which means that they are quite inquisitive and curious people that often like to spend time alone with their thoughts.
Do most CEOs lack empathy? ›CEOs have a hard time showing or expressing empathy because they lack the ability to mirror others. In his study of brain stimulation, neuroscientist Sukhvinder Obhi found that powerful people exhibited an impairment in “mirroring.”
How many executives suffer from anxiety? ›Results. Of the 839 executives, 827 executives (98.6%) who were referred for individual stress management consults completed the stress-related questions of the survey; 51.3% of these executives reported having a high stress level.
Do I have to tell my work I have anxiety? ›Remember, you're not legally required to tell your employer about your mental health condition, unless there's a risk to yourself or others.
How do you deal with a coworker who has anxiety? ›- Create a safe space for your colleague to share their feelings with you. ...
- Be empathetic. ...
- Offer realistic positive feedback. ...
- Point out their unrealistic nature of negative thoughts. ...
- Be patient and start small. ...
- Encourage them to seek professional help.