The stress-o-meter

Stress is the founder’s constant companion and the fight-or-flight response it triggers is one of the biggest threats to your ability to survive and thrive as a founder.

When stressed, your heart rate rises and your body floods with adrenaline and cortisol, all of which interfere with your decision-making abilities. When stressed, you make mistakes, miss clues and become more impulsive, less productive and less effective at managing relationships.

One framework I use to help founders think about stress management is the stress-o-meter. Imagine you have an internal rev counter, like a rev counter on a car, that tracks your levels of stress, from 1 to 10.

We all know what it sounds like when we rev a car too high for too long in the wrong gear. It gives us a warning sign that, if we continue to drive at 80 miles per hour in third gear, the engine is going to blow.

Think of your internal stress-o-meter in the same way:

▶ When it’s below 3, you are super-chilled.

▶ At a 4 or 5, the mind and body are revving normally and you’re performing well.

▶ By the time you get to a 6 or 7 your mind is beginning to race, the adrenaline is pumping high, and you can feel the stress in your solar plexus.

▶ At 8 or 9, your mind is racing and you’re asking if it’s wine o’clock yet.

▶ If you get to 10, agggghhhhhhhhhhh!

Many of us rev up to level 7 or 8 without even noticing during the working day. We may start at a reasonable level, but after eight hours of relentless emails, calls, Zoom meetings, demands, questions and concerns, we’re way up the stress-o-meter. If you find that the only way to slow your revs down after work is with a glass of wine, your engine is likely revving too hot.

Some of us become so accustomed to revving at a 7 or 8 that we actually get off on the adrenaline buzz. But as you move past about a 6 on your stress-o-meter, and your adrenaline and cortisol levels increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage your thoughts and behaviours, to practise considered leadership, to listen effectively and to respond powerfully.

Watch your stress levels for a day and notice what a 7 or 8 feels like. Maybe you have an ache in your chest, a knotted stomach, and tense shoulders. Maybe you start getting short and impatient with everyone, or your mind races and can’t settle to anything.

Identify the things that increase your revs. Lots of caffeine, not enough time between meetings, brooding on something that has happened or might happen, negative self-talk, running late or trying to do too much too fast are pretty typical rev increasers.

Once you’ve identified them, think about how to reduce your revs.

▶ Cut back on caffeine: When I started practising stress-o-meter rev management, the first thing I had to cut was caffeine — I simply couldn’t keep below a 6 all day and drink coffee.

▶ Pace the diary: Leave ten minutes between meetings and limit the number of meetings you say yes to in a day. Schedule proper breaks for lunch.

▶ Breathe: Try the four-count breathing exercise: breathe in for the count of four; hold for the count of four; breath out for the count of four; hold for the count of four. Repeat this four times.

Whatever you discover about your own rev increasers and reducers, to survive and thrive through the founder marathon, you need to keep your revs below a 6.

Your business, your team and your body will thank you.