While conducting intensive research for my book, “The Management of Executive Stress – Eliciting Peak Performance in the Corporate Executive” I had the immense fortune of exposure to a particular case study which later served as veritably rich material for the first chapter of the book.
Sometime in the fall of year 2006, I received an invitation to attend to a Dr. Ejike Davies (not his real names). Davies, the highly cerebral holder of a doctorate in the extremely technical field of petro-chemistry and another from Harvard’s highly-elitist business school, was, at thirty five, the Chief Executive Officer of one of Nigerian’s biggest oil marketing firms. His status as an oil czar was all the more remarkable given his relatively tender age in an industry dominated by men in their 50’s and 60’s. His extraordinary acumen and drive had seen his company through an unprecedented expansion of its outlet network into the largest in the country, such that the company’s presence was felt even in the most remote corners of the country. This was quite apart from the resultant mind –boggling heights in liquidity and profitability.
All this, however, was not without a stiff price. After four years on the hot seat, Davies had almost become a complete physical and psychological wreck. Clearly, the man lacked sufficient coping mechanisms to accommodate the inordinate and tremendous pressure occasioned by his own extraordinary drive.
At my first contact with Davies, his aggressiveness struck me with full force. I found him an obvious workaholic, with the totally unattractive traits of impatience, a short temper fuse and an obvious inability to willingly listen to anyone’s voice but his. He readily admitted that he was always running against the clock in an attempt to be on time. Not surprisingly, he always wore a tense expression and his speech mannerism was, at the same time, both quick and loud. I knew I was in the presence of the Type A personality, so lucidly described in the 1950’s by the celebrated cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rossenman. We can immediately discern the sharp contrast to the Type B person, also described by the eminent duo. Type B’s are generally patient, relaxed in facial expression, devoid of an excessively competitive spirit, calm and soft in speech. Type A’s are more prone to stress and heart disease, whilst Type B’s run much less risk of stress-induced ailments and heart disease, but may lack energy when it comes to fulfilling everyday tasks. Of course, most people will lie somewhere between these two extremes. Dear reader, you would do well to locate your personality type with a view to making appropriate adjustments to achieve some equilibrium. In Dr. Davies’ case, his personality type was incontrovertible which made my work infinitely easier. However, he still had a lot to tell me.
Typically, when Davies was pressed to his limit, he would experience an alarmingly severe sense of time urgency, to which he would respond by working on two or more projects simultaneously. Even his thought processes, an otherwise simple human undertaking, became tortured. He would attempt to think through two or more issues at the same time. You couldn’t possibly engage his attention as his mind would always be somewhere else. He began to neglect all aspects of his life and lived only for his work. Not unnaturally, the potentially pleasant diversion of a vacation, for him, was simply unthinkable. Even eating became a mere chore to be tolerated with as much speed as possible. He talked fast and explosively.
He became increasingly impatient and irritable with those around him. Worse still, he developed a deep and abiding distrust for his supporting staff, taking on excessive responsibilities which should have otherwise been delegated to any of his extensive coterie of staff. In the boardroom, he fought, single handedly, battles he knew were uncalled for and would probably lose anyway and then became offensively truculent and upset when he did.
As his hostility to others built up, he found himself increasingly isolated, and it became quite difficult for him to confide in anyone. His isolation became almost total, as family, friends and staff found it near-impossible to relate with him. Naturally he was incapable of attending to family challenges. Finally and tragically, the company’s fortunes started to decline. It was at this stage that his Board Chairman convinced him to get in touch with me.
I realized from the onset that I was dealing with a superlatively- performing executive who had acquired enormous success because of his acumen and drive. In his drive for advancement, he generated much of his own stress. If the stress had continued, disaster would have been imminent. Happily though, for himself and those around him, he was readily agreeable to an intensive stress management programme.
I spent a whole week with Dr. Davies. On my insistence, and with his Board’s approval, we had relocated and set up camp at the Obudu Ranch Resort in Cross River State of Nigeria. This prominent resort with its serene, beautiful and green, rolling hill scenery readily provided the appropriate setting that was a requisite for achieving the relaxed ambience that I envisaged for a brilliant, intellectually-stimulating and life-changing outing.
After educating Davies fully on his personality type, Type A, we dwelt extensively on how he could make sustainable adjustments in his attitude to achieve some equilibrium. I took him on a course in “The art of listening”, one on “Anger control” and another on “The Power of Synergy”. These short courses were all based on Steven Covey’s all-time classic work, “The 7 habits of Highly Effective People”.
A whole lecture series on stress – its definition, causes, symptoms, prevention and management was followed by practical coaching lessons in PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR RELAXATION. He found our joint relaxation exercises most rewarding. We would both by a deliberate act of will, relax all our skeletal muscles, from head to toe in a sequential manner while simultaneously engaging in deep breathing exercises. Concurrent fixation on a repeated word such as “one” was used to gradually eliminate distracting thoughts from the consciousness, until one gradually approached and attained a deep, relaxed, meditative and almost trance-like state. A full 30 minutes of this state would achieve the rest obtainable from a 2hr sleep.
We also exercised lots of exercise. Not strenuous, meaningless physical gyrations. We engaged in both muscle-toning exercises and exercise for cardiac fitness. I taught Davies to see regular exercise as the most consistent and most effective antidote to stress and its related ailments. It was during our brisk-walking exercise that I appreciated Obudu Ranch Resort. Such serenity! Such tranquility! Nature at its enthralling best.
We also talked at length about the “appropriate diet” for the executive. Davies was fascinated to no end by this subject. I apparently disabused his mind of numerous false, previously – held myths. We focused principally on the ideal, recommended dietary regimen: Eating a variety of foods, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetable, using sugar only in moderation, using salt only in moderation and avoiding in its totality, or at worst indulging in it in severe moderation, all forms of alcoholic beverage.
We spent a joint total of six nights at the ranch. At the end of the week, I took my leave of Dr. Davies, insisting that he spend an additional week on his own at the beautiful ranch, during which time I fully expected him to practice, religiously, all that I had taught him, after which he would return to Lagos to consolidate on the gains of the programme.
I visited Davies a month later for a follow-up. The members of his company’s board were so thrilled with the remarkable rejuvenation in Davies that I found myself back at Obudu Ranch Resort barely three weeks later with the board members – all fifteen of them!