Managers face stress everyday. At Jhana, we’ve worked with, interviewed and helped a lot of managers, so we notice the stressors they talk about the most. Because of the research that we do, we also have great tips on how to help managers relieve the particular stressors that they face.

1. Five Common
Stressors
that
Managers
Face
& tips
for how
to cope

2. “You may not control all the
events that happen to you,
but you can decide not to
be reduced by them.”
Maya
Angelou

3. Managers face
stress everyday.
Symptoms of
depression
were reported
by 18% of
supervisors
and managers
compared to
12% of
individual
contributors.1

4. At Jhana, we’ve worked with, interviewed and
helped a lot of managers, so we notice the
stressors they talk about the most.
Because of the research that we do, we also
have great tips on how to help managers relieve
the particular stressors that they face.

5. Here are the five of the
stressors we hear about the
most and tips for how to
cope with them.
1.Building Rapport
2.Embracing
Change
3.Giving Tough
Feedback
4.Stress From Boss
5.Managing Top
Priorities

6. Managers
account for
at least 70%
of variance in
employee
engagement
scores across
business
units.2
1. “I’m struggling to
build a rapport with
my team.”

7. What could be going on?
Your direct reports need to believe you care about
their career and can lead them well.
People tend to lose respect for leaders who don’t
practice what they preach or who lead through
fear.

8. Solution:
L ead b y ex am p l e.
Remember, a good relationship between a
direct report and a manager takes time to
build. Make small, consistent efforts to get to
know your direct reports. To get the respect
you want, you should:
L i s t en t o an d act o n f eed b ack .
D el eg at e d u t i es an d g i v e reward s f ai rl y.

9. 2. “I’m overwhelmed
by the change at my
company.”
44% of
employees don’t
understand the
change they’re
being asked to
implement,
while 38% don’t
agree with the
change.3

10. What Could Be Going On?
Imagine this scenario. Your company gets acquired. The
board of directors shakes up the leadership team, and to
your disappointment, a beloved boss leaves to start her
own company.
It’s hard to handle unanticipated changes. It’s harder
still to figure out what those changes will mean for your
team.

11. Solution:
C reat e an i m p l em en t at i o n p l an t o g u i d e
y o u r t eam t h ro u g h t h e ch an g e.
See change as an opportunity to motivate and
distinguish yourself and your team. This is an excellent
time to develop and promote a transparent team culture.
To effectively lead your team during a company change:
R ei n f o rce ch an g e m es s ag es b y t y i n g t h em
t o co n cret e b eh av i o rs .
R es et an d rep ri o ri t i z e ex p ect at i o n s an d
p erf o rm an c e g o al s .
R em o v e ro ad b l o ck s t h at p rev en t s u cces s
as m u ch as y o u can .

12. 3. “I’m uncomfortable
giving tough
feedback.”
69% of managers
are uncomfortable
communicating with
employees. 37% of
managers are
uncomfortable
giving direct
feedback about their
employees’
performance if they
think the employee
might respond
negatively to the
feedback.4

13. What Could Be Going On?
When managers are uncomfortable giving redirecting
feedback, it’s often due to 3 reasons:
1. A previous manager was callous when giving
redirecting feedback.
2. They believe giving redirecting feedback will hurt their
relationship with direct reports.
3. They never learned how to give redirecting feedback
effectively.

14. Solution:
It’s normal to feel uncomfortable about giving
redirecting feedback. Here are some tips to help you
deliver it calmly, confidently and effectively:
Remember that direct reports are hungry for your
feedback.
It’s a learning process for you as well! So, ask for
feedback on the way that you give feedback.
Tailor your feedback to each person. Parthi may want
you to be more direct, but Abdul may need you to be
more empathetic.

15. 4. “My boss is really
stressing me out.”
50% of
employees who
have left a job,
quit because they
hated their boss.5

16. What Could Be Going On?
One or a few problems could be at fault here:
• Your manager and you have a personality/working-­style
clash.
• Your manager exhibits problematic or unethical behavior.
• There is miscommunication between you and your manager
on key projects.
It’s normal to disagree with your manager sometimes, but a
truly bad relationship can lead to anxiety, stress and potentially
even your resignation.

17. Solution:
It’s important to understand that your boss’ personality, cultural
background, perceptions of authority and the myriad other factors
can all determine how she wants you to interact with her. To help
develop this working relationship:
Ask your boss for feedback.
Consider a transfer or a different position.
Address any issue that arise directly.
Don’t take it personally.
Give honest feedback about what is and isn’t working.

18. 5. “I have a lot on my
plate, and I’m not sure
how to manage it.”
75% of
companies
struggle with
overwhelmed
employees.6

19. What Could Be Going On?
If you are a people-­pleaser, you may have a
hard time saying no even when your plate is
full.
If you are an overachiever, you may have a
hard time turning down requests because you
see every opportunity as a chance to shine.

20. Solution:
When you say “yes” to a request that's not aligned with your top
priorities, you rob yourself of bandwidth to work on the things that
are more important. Sometimes, it’s ok to say “no.”
Determine whether each request is one you want to take
on.
If you're only saying no because of bad timing, propose
an alternative.
Before you say no, say thank you.
Explain why you're saying no, and give details.
When you say no, use a neutral but definitive tone of
voice.

21. Stress is a part of
everyday life.
As a manager,
stress is an
even bigger
part of your
day-­to-­day,
but you can
learn and
develop ways
to manage it!

22. Check out our blog, greatmanager.co to
discover more tips on being on a more
effective leader.

23. At Jhana, we believe that everyone
deserves a great manager.
We help thousands of first-­level managers
in over 25 countries build the skills they
need to become more effective and
engaging leaders. Learn more at
jhana.com.

24. Sources
1. “Anxious? Depressed? Blame It on Your Middle-­Management Position” Published in Public Health Now.
https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-­health-­now/news/anxious-­depressed-­blame-­it-­your-­middle-­
management-­position
2.“Why Good Managers Are So Rare” Randall Beck and James Harter. Published in Harvard Business
Review. https://hbr.org/2014/03/why-­good-­managers-­are-­so-­rare
3. “Culture’s Role in Enabling Organizational Change” by DeAnne Aguirre, Rutger von Post, Micah Alpern.
Published in Strategy&. http://www.strategyand.pwc.com/reports/cultures-­role-­organizational-­change
4. “Two-­Thirds of Managers Are Uncomfortable Communicating with Employees” by Lou Solomon.
Published in Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/03/two-­thirds-­of-­managers-­are-­
uncomfortable-­communicating-­with-­employees
5. “Managers With High Talent Twice as Likely to Be Engaged” by Jim Harter. Published in Gallup.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/182225/managers-­high-­talent-­twice-­likely-­engaged.aspx
6. “75% Of Companies Struggle With Overwhelmed Employees -­ Here Are Three Tips To Cope” by
Vanessa Loder. Published in Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/vanessaloder/2015/04/24/75-­of-­
companies-­struggle-­with-­overwhelmed-­employees-­here-­are-­three-­tips-­to-­cope/#294d72aa4f0e