Article

While organizations invest heavily in creating world-class infrastructure, designing policies that are employee-friendly, and conducting surveys for the best employers’ practices, a significant percentage of the workforce experiences stress, hypertension, anxiety, and depression.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), an estimated 15% of working-age adults globally experience a mental disorder at any point in time. The post-COVID era has brought its own challenges, as have the rapidly changing geopolitical conditions and the emergence of AI, which have created turbulent times for already fragile economies, making job markets extremely volatile. 

“The Game” has leveled up!  

The question is- how does one gear up to match this pace while keeping our sanity intact?  

Let’s start by understanding the fundamental reasons why do we experience stress & anxiety. Amongst the most commonly experienced stressors at the workplace are i) fear of the unknown- dealing with uncertainties) ii) fear of failure- rejection and iii) people dynamics- workplace politics of mismatched expectations and inadequate alignment. Before we delve deeper, let’s establish the premise that behind each action, there is a need that drives, pushes, and propels us to move, attain, and achieve a specific goal. Any hindrance in achieving the desired results causes stress and becomes the trigger for evoking anxiety. If it continues to persist for a prolonged duration, it sets in as a behavioral pattern, resulting in a poor mental health condition. To understand each of these stressors, let’s look through the lens of McClelland’s Needs Theory (1965). 

Fear of the unknown- dealing with uncertainties, what if scenario- (call it by any name), individuals with ‘Need for Power' (nPow) find comfort in structured familiar situations, they seek clarity in their roles, and being in a position of command propels them. They would like to work with a known face rather than a complete stranger- remember- ‘A known devil is better than an unknown angel’ would like to take ‘the path already trodden than venture into the unknown’. As leaders, when these individuals experience an unpredictable, ambiguous environment, a lack of structure in the organization, it may cause anxiety, and to bring the comfort of having a structure, they end up micromanaging to get the desired results. This can be extremely stressful and may induce irritability despite them being organized is their strength; they may not be the popular managers, which further adds to their stress, impacting the team dynamics. 

Fear of failure or rejection- Then there are those for whom being accepted as part of the group is of highest value and a sign of being successful. People who have a high Need for Affiliation (nAff) seek close, friendly relationships and thrive in supportive, collaborative environments. They are highly sensitive to team dynamics and often experience stress when faced with conflict, criticism, or feelings of exclusion. A strong fear of rejection or failure can intensify this stress, as they equate acceptance with personal worth. They would suppress their feelings, not share their opinions, just to avoid any friction, confrontation, and would prefer to be looked at being popular over being right. This causes a great deal of stress since lack of recognition amongst the team members, and gives try their best to avoid friction, confrontation, suppress their opinions, or overcompensate to gain approval, even at the cost of their own needs. They may compromise on the quality of work, miss the project deadlines in order to be accepted by the team members, which increases the stress levels. Sometimes aligning towards the client more than their own internal teams can cause that conflict within the teams, which brings towards the 3rd most common stressor at the workplace- people dynamics- workplace politics, mismatched expectations, and poor alignment of goals, aspirations, and ambition.

Need for achievement (nAch) is the drive that compels individuals to have an ambition, to aim higher, and strive to achieve their goals within the framework of the organizational goals. The conflict arises when individual goals and organizational objectives are not aligned, and when the expectations are not clearly defined, as a result, this conflict becomes the source of stress and discomfort.  

Now, what can be the best way to navigate our paths to reach towards our life goals such that we have an incremental & sustainable growth? Spending some time to ponder on the following few aspects may lead towards a resourceful state of mind.  

Finding our Why? 

While our jobs provide us means to meet our ends, address our physiological, social and psychological safety needs does it also give us contentment or the feeling of living a purposeful life? Asking why we are doing what we are doing and what needs does that address, keeps us aligned to our goals, also it creates space for improvisations, adjustments, and realignments of both the goal and the route/path towards our destination. Keeping purpose over paycheck will add a deeper meaning to your life. 

Check your Stocks; Find Your Anchors! 

The nature of stress, anxiety is that it consumes us completely so much that one tends to forget to check how resourceful one is, exactly what needs attention, or what is the need of the hour, where one needs to focus. At this time, it becomes even more important to tap what resources we have that can work as our anchors to stay afloat and navigate our way to the shores.  

1. Fixed versus growth mindset- The potential of a human mind is infinite, with only about 30% of our personality being unchangeable, and the remaining 70% is all dynamic. Leaders aren’t born; they are made. That indicates towards a huge scope for learning new skills, enhancing the knowledge base, adapting to the changes in our environment, and thriving. Identifying those unproductive habits, questioning and dropping those self-doubts, the limiting beliefs, allows us to explore our untapped potential and find the optimum best version of ourselves. 

2. Looking at the bigger picture- don’t work with a myopic vision. Whether it is a 9-5 job, a start-up with flexi-hours, or your own enterprise, always keep the bigger picture in mind. Do the daily transactions, but keep a good eye on your long-term goals, those that have the potential to bring the transformative change. Plan for your career, not for the job alone. 

3. While working with cross-functional, Multicultural, Diverse teams- Change in perspective is like being in someone else’s shoe! With 24*7 connectivity through the internet, the world is now divided into customers and service providers instead of geographies, which brings an opportunity to work and engage with cross-functional, multicultural, diverse teams. Empathy, one’s ability to be able to look at situations & scenarios from the other person’s viewpoint, helps in managing conflicts and team dynamics, especially with Gen-Z joining the workplace. 

4. Staying one up with technology- Business scenarios are both dynamic and fragile, hence keeping abreast with the latest technology/skill ensures that one doesn’t become obsolete. Learning keeps us agile, advance your skills, and adding a new tool to your toolkit which adds to the values one brings on the table/ shop floor. 

5. Find your tribe-investing in purposeful networking- No AI or chatbots, nothing can replace the warmth and comfort of a human interaction, therefore finding our tribe is essential for our mental health and emotional well-being. Be it professionals, discussion groups, knowledge enhancement peer working on the same technology, focused groups. 

6. Create Your Healing Corner- find ways to connect with yourself, learn from setbacks, and create your unique means to rejuvenate! Create a corner in your house or workplace to unwind and destress. Give yourself some space to breathe & just be! 

PS: Awareness about what motivates us, be it achievement, bonding, or authority, can help us navigate our road to success efficiently. Make the grind more meaningful. 

About the Author

Dr. Shivali Dixit Saxena (Ph.D) is an ICF-ACC certified Leadership Coach, NLP Practitioner, and Emotional Intelligence practitioner with over 8 years of experience as a Life Coach with 10+ years as Corporate HR. She has been recognized among India’s 100 Most Influential Coaching Leaders by World HRD Congress(2023).  As Founder of Your Coach for Life and Spectrum – The Awareness Project (STAP), her work blends emotional intelligence, behavior change, and social advocacy to empower individuals and communities. With a research-driven, heart-centered approach, she helps clients navigate personal and professional growth with clarity, purpose, and resilience.