“One lesson a man learns from Harvard Business School is this: an Executive is only as good as his health” – Jeffrey Archer
I was just contemplating calling it a day when the intercom line on my desk rang, “Hello sir, there’s a gentleman here to see you.
“Sir, he says to introduce him as a” KETTLE AT BOILING POINT!”
“What did you just say?” I asked.
“A KETTLE AT BOILING POINT” she repeated.
My door opened to admit a tall, gentleman in his mid-fifties dressed in a well-cut, dark pin-striped suit which sat elegantly on his broad shoulders.
He looked extremely tired and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy, either from lack of sleep or crying or both.
It turned out that my visitor was Executive Director of an International Bank.
He disclosed that he had always been intensely success-driven all his life but was uncertain if the extreme dislocations in his personal life and health problems he now suffered as consequences of his absolute fixation on career goals were worthwhile sacrifices after all.
He was more bothered about his health now, as the journey to work in the mornings had become quite uncomfortable; his stomach would be all “tied up in knots”. He admitted that his work can be likened to a “pressure cooker schedule” – from 8am to 9pm the routine was constant; the pressure at work was unbelievable! At the end of the day, his head and neck would have become zones of excruciating pain largely unrelieved by the usual pain killers.
His sleep pattern had become disrupted as he would toss and turn in bed for hours, perhaps only managing to grab a couple of hours of sleep in the early hours.
Clearly, he was working his usual many hours but not achieving previous, commendable results.
His weekends offered little or no respite as his mind was constantly invaded by thoughts of unresolved problems at the bank. In a most unhappy tone, he said he lacked motivation on his job despite his expectedly high remuneration, allowances and other perks of high corporate office.
He was on the brink of disaster. He needed help and fast.
My diagnosis: He is under STRESS; stress of a rather severe nature. In fact, he was now suffering from stress of a dual nature: the physical and the psychological.
Next…KETTLE AT BOILING POINT II
DR. YOMI Garnett is Nigeria’s foremost stress consultant. His EXECUTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (ESMP) incorporates lifestyle modification strategies for today’s CEO and Company Director. Many organizations, both within and outside Nigeria, have benefited enormously from these seminars. He is Author of the best selling book “THE MANAGEMENT OF EXECUTIVE STRESS”. He can be reached on stresseducentre@yahoo.com and 08033113784.
EXECUTIVE STRESS CLINIC
KETTLE AT BOILING POINT II
What is Stress?
The most elementary definition of stress refers to the condition or state of coming under strain or pressure. Globally; the effects of stress are as startling as they are amazing.
In Nigeria, the available statistics are simply staggering:-
* 70% of all adults suffer adverse health effects due to stress
* 90% of all visits to the hospital are for stress -related ailments
* Chronic stress is linked to the leading causes of death: Heart attack, accidents etc
* Stress-related workplace absenteeism accounts for an annual loss of 50 Billion Naira in revenue.
* The Sudden – Death Syndrome is a major fall – out of stress.
How did I help my visitor? I placed him on an Executive Stress Management Programme (in the company of a few other Executives like himself). The programme is a total plan for re-establishing the body’s natural balance while setting the individual resolutely on the path to a healthier and a more fulfilling life. He was exposed to a personally-tailored programme of Autogenic stress reduction techniques, daily progressive muscular relaxation techniques, dietary control and exercises. After three days of coaching, I sent him off with strict instructions to practice all he’d been taught with religious zeal.
He reported back to me 4 weeks later. He was astonished to find that the programme really worked. At work, he was better able to concentrate and communicate with his staff, allowing him to get his work completed in less time. The time he saved was now invested in projects he had initiated and enjoyed but hadn’t the time to accomplish. This gave him a great deal of satisfaction and a welcome sense of control which did his self-esteem a world of good. Additionally, he now had fewer headaches, slept better and had fewer stomach problems. Even more wonderful was the news that his blood pressure was now normal; and with less medication too. Little wonder that this time around, he introduced himself to my secretary as the: THE KETTLE THAT HAS SIMMERED DOWN!”.