Achieving Success Under Pressure

How much stress is good for you? Everyone has a “sweet spot” where the right amount of pressure motivates and inspires us. Too much or too little stress can hurt our performance and health.

In recent months, I’ve run workshops on developing resilience—the ability to handle work stress and thrive in high-pressure environments. I researched and selected exercises to help busy managers identify and manage their responses to stress.

Our ability to handle pressure depends on factors like experience, skill, personal life, relationships, and health. The key to resilience is recognising when pressure turns into stress and having the skills to manage it.

The Danger of Procrastination

I recently read an article that suggested men often use the adrenaline rush of a looming deadline to motivate themselves. It claimed that men sometimes wait until the last minute to address tasks or make plans. Without the pressure of a deadline, they don’t feel the task is urgent, which leads to procrastination. In contrast, the article said women prefer to plan ahead to avoid unnecessary pressure, using foresight to take action early.

However, after looking into it, I found that this gender-based assumption has no scientific backing. Not everything you read is true!

A study by Tice and Baumeister (Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress and health: The costs and benefits of dawdling) on procrastination found that students who crammed for exams had lower grades, higher stress, and worse health in the long term. They were more likely to feel fatigued, anxious, and become ill. The study showed no gender bias—both men and women are equally prone to procrastination. What’s your tendency?

The research reminded me of how much I’ve changed over the years. My fantastic Virtual Assistant, Amanda, has helped me get better at planning ahead. In the past, I’d leave writing my monthly article until the last minute, which caused a lot of stress and impacted other tasks. It also added pressure on Amanda for last-minute proofreading and rushed preparation for publishing.

Now, Amanda politely reminds me to submit the next month’s article as soon as the current one is published. This approach makes writing more enjoyable and gives us more time for proofreading and improving the content. 

The Paradox Of Poised Achievement

Balancing ‘Self-Motivation’ and ‘Stress Management’ is key to effective performance. In my management workshops, many leaders say, “Stress is good – it gets you moving.” I agree, but it’s crucial to understand your stress levels and how to manage them. The problem is that stress can be hard to recognise from the inside.

When I first learned about the Harrison Behavioural Paradoxes, I was intrigued by how the Paradox of Poised Achievement measures two related traits: Self-Motivation and Stress Management. When these traits are balanced, they lead to high effectiveness. But when they are out of balance, they can lead to counterproductive behaviour. Harrison’s approach, based on Enjoyment Theory, combines elements from mathematics, psychology, and counselling to create a unique assessment methodology.

Each paradox involves a ‘Dynamic’ trait and a complementary ‘Gentle’ trait. For example, in the Paradox of Poised Achievement, the two primary trait sare:

Self-Motivation: the drive to achieve goals, take initiative, and embrace challenges.

Stress Management: the ability to stay relaxed and manage stress effectively when it occurs.

When we score high in both traits, we demonstrate ‘Balanced Versatility’. This combination results in Poised Achievement, where we stay motivated without becoming stressed or tense.

However, if we are highly self-motivated but struggle to manage stress, we may experience Stressed Achievement. This is when we become overly focused on achievement, yet feel tense and overwhelmed. If this imbalance persists, it can lead to burnout.

On the flip side, if we are relaxed but lack self-motivation, we experience Tranquil Inertia. This occurs when we are laid-back and unmotivated, with a tendency to procrastinate.

When both traits are low, we fall into Stressed Underachievement. In this case, we lack the drive to succeed while also struggling to manage stress, which can create a sense of constant tension and frustration.

Imbalances in these traits can cause us to “flip” to the opposite side under pressure. For example, someone with high Stressed Achievement may flip into Tranquil Inertia when overwhelmed. This might happen at home, where we switch off and seek distraction, or at work, when we avoid tasks and procrastinate. Similarly, someone with high Stress Management but low Self-Motivation may suddenly become over-motivated under pressure, often too late to complete the work properly, affecting the quality of the output.

Research shows that these extremes can negatively affect long-term health and well-being. So, it’s crucial to recognise and manage these imbalances to improve performance and maintain health.

Raising Awareness

By increasing your awareness of your natural preferences and tendencies, you can take control and improve your approach. What are your tendencies? Do you notice any imbalances, as described above? Would you benefit from learning to manage stress more effectively? Or do you need to get re-motivated and find new challenges that inspire you?

The idea behind these Paradoxes is to explore how opposing traits work together. It’s not about doing less of what feels natural; it’s about addressing imbalances and learning to improve the balance between them. You can achieve this by increasing self-awareness, being open to feedback, and being willing to grow.

When it comes to stress, it’s about recognising it, naming it, and knowing that you have the power to manage it.

I encourage you to reflect on your preferences and those of your team members. How well do you and your colleagues handle work stress and pressure? Are you and your teams motivated and engaged by your work challenges? What steps can you take to cultivate ‘Poised Achievement’ and develop more ‘Balanced Versatility’ in your approach?

If you are interested in exploring where you and your managers stand on this Paradox and the eleven other Paradoxes in the assessment just contact us at info@talent4performance.co.uk.

Check out the short 150-second video about this paradox on LinkedIn:

Can sustained success really exist without sacrificing well-being?

Remember . . . stay curious!

David Klaasen

©David Klaasen – June 2016-2024