English novelist Charles Dickens would have never known that the epigrammatic statement with which he had started his novel A Tale of Two Cities would go on to describe the 21st century as well. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, written by Dickens fits well with the age that we live and breathe in since this age poses challenges to our minds like never before and at the same time, has opened the floodgates of opportunities like never before. If there is a struggle to become cut-above-the-rest, or to maintain the position of pelf that has been achieved, the deluge of information with thousands of remedial points has facilitated this rat race. Hence, there is stress, there is anxiety, there is a chance that one may continually sit on the tenterhooks. And when we talk of stress management in the context of business leaders, the whole idea gets a different hue altogether.
Business leaders and entrepreneurs are the people who are the pivots of their enterprises. They are the key decision-makers upon whose judgement and discretion the existence of their business lies. They are the people whom others look up to for their living and to draw inspiration. A leader is expected to be infallible; someone who has the solutions to all the problems that arise; someone who is not vulnerable and definitely does not give in to weaknesses. With so much of expectations saddled upon them, leaders find it very difficult to hold on to composure. To keep the mask of a strong person on, to be the icon of inspiration are daunting tasks and it is very natural that they fall prey to the duress of image cult. It is extremely imperative that the business leaders stay grounded to the reality, keep their minds fresh and agile so that their cognitive faculties of inference and decision-making do not beat the dust.
If we are to enumerate the means in which a business leader can keep his/her mind agile and resilient, one has to resort to the most simplistic methods. Although it may sound hackneyed, the idea of leading a healthy life indeed has a positive impact on the brain. Streamlining activities and binding ourselves in a fixed routine are tried-and-tested formulae of having a healthy brain. In the quest of complex solutions, we sometimes overlook the simple remedies that lie close and thus, something as basic as staying hydrated or eating healthy or having a good sleep in the night can work wonders for us.
Another easy way of addressing issues can be looking at the concern from different perspectives. The way we look at things can definitely impact the opinion we form or the decision we make. If we are to shift our glance from being critical to being creative or from being logical to being intuitive, we have a kaleidoscopic purview of the object. The practice of switching perspective switches the perception. Hence, business leaders must extend this practice by putting up teams wherein their members also have divergent impressions and angles to offer. It is particularly effective in this modern work culture, when leaders and executives are expected to be proficient multitaskers. However, psychologists brush this phenomenon of multitasking as a myth, claiming that while human brain attaches more importance to a particular work, the other functions are bound to be subsumed. Thus, a team which comprises of people who have motley of impressions can be a fitting response to an increasingly complex world of business.
Furthermore, the key to having an agile brain lies in keeping the mind busy with novel ideas and habits. More often than not, we tend to become accustomed with the impressions that we have formed over the years. Everything that we see, experience and grow with creates indelible impacts upon our brains and makes us what we are. To stick vociferously to what we see and believe makes us stagnated. It makes us trapped in a loop where we resist change in perceptions. Instead of acquiring talent and skills through diligence, we find ourselves to be firmly affixed to the old conventions. The process of learning and un-learning stops and we stop being well-rounded personalities. Hence, it is advised that we stretch the extend of our minds; put those faculties of brain into practice that have been hitherto untapped. Learning has no age and limit and we must acknowledge this and keep on acquiring new habits and skills so that the worn out routines are merged with the background and we come up with relevant skills that can help us stay abreast in the dynamic situation. Faith and knowledge of the dynamism of human mind indeed help us stay updated, be resilient and address issues from a fresh outlook.
Finally, it is the job of the leaders to ensure a happy work environment where the employees do not feel threatened. It is only when the workers feel heard and included, the business ventures flourish. Thus, good leaders not only practise the healthy lifestyle and challenging themselves to bring out latent potentials, but also urge their subordinates to follow suit. They must ensure that his employees are ready to make themselves flexible enough to learn new lessons and upgrade themselves to do away with old habits. They must create a work culture wherein different branches of function cross their roads so that interactions happen, ideas get exchanged and new pathways of minds are unraveled. It is only when the horizons of the brain would remain distant and elusive; leaders and their endeavours to sustain their ventures would be deemed fruitful.