I know all about stressed – it’s ‘DESSERTS’ spelled backwards!
I don’t believe in coincidence – which is why when I saw “I know all about stressed, it’s ‘DESSERTS’ spell backwards!!!” this morning, I figured there was a reason.
No, not that I was going to have dessert for breakfast (although… let’s not rule anything out).
Rather that in sales (perhaps even in life), stress isn’t necessarily the enemy.
It’s a tool.
Now, before you roll your eyes… hear me out.
Stress is a force exerted by pressing, pulling, pushing, compressing, or twisting. Newton’s First Law of Motion is the one that says ‘a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it….’
True of both things and people! If you don’t believe me, try getting off the couch once you’ve sat down and turned on Netflix.
Which brings us to the GOOD THING about stress
Without a little of it pushing us to move, we wouldn’t accomplish anything.
- The stress you put on yourself to hit your number
- The stress your manager puts on you to perform
- The stress your team creates to win together
- That kind of stress creates momentum!
Three ways to leverage GOOD Stress:
- Understand what’s driving it.
Is it a goal? A commitment? A standard? Good. That means it matters. - Treat it like a nudge, not a punishment.
It’s your internal “get moving” signal. Don’t ignore it. - Make sure it’s pointed somewhere useful.
Activity for activity’s sake doesn’t count. It has to move you forward.
Now… the BAD side of stress
The BAD THING is when the stress turns into overwhelm. Instead of pushing us to move, we are pushed into a corner, unable to decide what to do… we do nothing.
That is a cycle that turns into a downward spiral…
More stress → more overwhelm → do nothing
Do nothing → more stress → more overwhelm
You get the idea (you’ve probably been there)!
Three ways to manage BAD stress:
- Get it out of your head and onto paper.
Everything feels bigger when it’s swirling around up there. - Pick ONE thing.
Not ten. Not five. One. - Create momentum with small wins.
Little actions break big stalls.
For Leaders (this part really matters)
When you lead a team, your job isn’t to eliminate stress. Your job is to help your team use it productively… and not drown in it.
Because when stress turns into overwhelm, performance tanks.
As we talk about in Mastering Inside Sales Leadership, your team is constantly operating in that tension between structure and chaos… your role is to help them move forward instead of freeze.
Now go do something! Then have dessert.
Lynn