Plumridge also relies on the advice of colleagues, saying that his peers coach each other on business problems: 'Just a fresh pair of eyes over an issue can help,' he states.
Tony LaMontagne says that while personality traits do have some effect on stress, it is systemic stressors—qualities of job roles and organizations themselves—that have a far greater effect. His recent research shows that the major predictor of stress is the level of job control a person has. People with demanding jobs but little autonomy have up to four times the probability of depression and more than double the risk of heart attack.
Plumridge states that stress is often caused by his having unrealistic expectations of himself. ‘I’ll promise a client that I’ll do something tomorrow, and then I’ll promise another client that I’ll do the same thing, when I know it’s not going to happen.’
Jan Elsner, a psychologist who specialises in executive coaching, says that doing well on a demanding workload is typical of senior executives.
Questions
1. High-level workers tend to react positively to stress.
2. Stress levels are increased by trying to please customers.
3. Support from other workers may relieve stress.
4. Lack of independence at work is often responsible for stress.