Be mindful. Practicing mindfulness has been a major improvement in my life in managing stress. Being mindful of my thoughts, actions and feelings has given me a deeper understanding of not only myself, but others. This allows me to lead with empathy at work and in my life, and foster a healthy work envirorment for my team.
With all that’s going on in our country, in our economy, in the world, and on social media, it feels like so many of us are under a great deal of stress. We know that chronic stress can be as unhealthy as smoking a quarter of a pack a day. For many of us, our work, our livelihood, is a particular cause of stress. Of course, a bit of stress is just fine, but what are stress management strategies that leaders use to become “Stress-Proof” at work? What are some great tweaks, hacks, and tips that help to reduce or even eliminate stress from work? As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Marion Weiler.
Marion Weiler serves as Executive Business Advisor, Growth Strategist, Branding Expert, and CEO at Weiler International LLC. She advises and guides people-centric businesses and leaders to realize their full potential and create better results based on a foundation of organizational and operational excellence and a culture of teamwork and collaboration. As a global citizen and Business Leader guiding and supporting industry-leading global brands across geographies and industries, Marion has a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges businesses and leaders face as they navigate through the complexities of corporate environments.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to know how you got from “there to here.” Inspire us with your backstory!
I was growing up in a happy home in Southern Germany, and was fortunate to have parents who always supported me. At the same time, I was formed by the environment and as most everyone else, I was taught how to conform to societal norms of “how things are done” within the given structure, which led me to leave behind a seemingly perfect future and life that was “meant” for me after I graduated with a business degree. I knew deep down that there was more out there for me to experience, and ultimately more for me to be. A big influence during this time was my Hungarian tennis trainer who exposed me to new cultures and different ways of doing things. It didn’t take long before I was embracing cultures from people all over the world. Sports also helped me understand that it doesn’t matter how well you’re playing, you’re only as strong as the weakest link on the team. My passion for learning, understanding, and integrating new experiences began to grow, and I decided to focus my studies on international business management, which set the stage for my career today as a business leader and advisor to global businesses.
What lessons would you share with yourself if you had the opportunity to meet your younger self?
While we may not be able to change external circumstances, we can always decide and control how we react to them, and whether we let them negatively impact us or rise above them. Everything is a growth experience and learning, even if we might not see it in the moment.
None of us are able to experience success without support along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful because of the support they gave you to grow you from “there to here?” Can you share that story and why you are grateful for them?
Mark Johnson who hired me as a Marketing Coordinator when I first started my career was a mentor who continuously pushed me towards my potential, and reaching higher levels of exposure, confidence and career advancement. He saw my potential and believed in me more than I believed in myself at the time. During the 7 years I worked with Mark, I grew from being an entry-level marketing employee who arguably had a lot of raw talent and drive to succeed, but was missing the confidence, experience, and roadmap to grow professionally and personally.
Through Mark’s guidance and mentorship, I grew to build and oversee the subsidiary’s business and marketing operations, developing the strategic roadmap for the organization as well as strategic partnerships with industry-leading global companies, and collaborating as a trusted advisor to the board and executive team.
I remember early on when I was part of executive meetings, I would often be too shy to speak up. Especially due to my upbringing in Germany, I was raised to not question those in higher positions or of authority, especially as I was at least 15 years their junior and the only woman at the table. Mark pushed me to speak up and share my ideas in the meetings, and become more assertive and confident, and ultimately part of the decision-making team.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think it might help people?
Absolutely. Over the years, I’ve been increasingly involved in supporting leading universities internationally. I very much enjoy collaborating with leaders in learning environments and providing guidance in terms of establishing a leadership position while connecting internal and external stakeholders. Simultaneously, I’ve been actively mentoring the next generation of leaders. I truly believe that providing mentorship is one of the most enriching roles of a leader. I have always believed that behind every great leader, there is a mentor guiding, supporting and advocating for them along their journey. That is why I take pride in being a corporate partner and mentor at leading universities and organizations. I’ve noticed that there is a lot of imposter syndrome, anxiety, fear and doubt within the next generations of young leaders, and I hope that in providing guidance and mentorship, it positions them to build a career path and life that makes them truly proud and happy.
Ok, thank you for sharing your inspired life. Let’s now talk about stress. How would you define stress?
Stress is often perceived as a negative, yet I believe it’s not that simple. What we want to look out for is stress stemming from mounting pressure and overwhelm. When pressure is put upon us by either ourselves or others, it’s easy to feel stressed. And too often feeling stressed is a result of unrealistic expectations or what we believe should be the right or wrong thing to do at any given time, especially when comparing ourselves with others — not to mention the added pressure from our jobs, families, or increasingly complex lifestyle. But there is also a more positive aspect to stress and that is when we respond well to a challenge or the growth that results from making it through stressful situations.
In the Western world, humans typically have their shelter, food, and survival needs met. So what has led to this chronic stress? Why are so many of us always stressed out?
There is no simple answer to this question, however I believe a lot of stress is a symptom of our current environment and the complexities that we’ve created for ourselves versus simplifying our lives. Also, now more than ever we live in an environment of comparison where our lives are compared to others. Comparing on social media, trying to “have it all” while simultaneously trying to manage the growing list of to dos, is a sure way to experience chronic stress with no end in sight. Breaking that circle by simplifying our life, focusing on ourselves in terms of our own growth and learnings, and paying attention to the moment-by-moment experiences can make a world of a difference.
What are some of the physical manifestations of being under a lot of stress? How does the human body react to stress?
While I am no medical professional, I believe that chronic stress can absolutely manifest into the body in several harmful ways. And besides impacting our body, it’s also a factor that often negatively impacts our mental health and quality of relationships. We are not meant to be in constant fight-or-flight mode, and exposing our system to chronic “un-ease” often leads to issues that we no longer have a choice about whether or not we address them.
Is stress necessarily a bad thing? Can stress ever be good for us?
I will revert to my previous points about the nature of stress. Stress based on pressure often in itself has a negative connotation, but it can also be a positive thing as well. For example, we all heard the phrase “pressure makes diamonds”. It can stretch us and help us grow, while being under too much pressure or overwhelm can lead to deeper, much more serious negative outcomes.
Is there a difference between being in a short term stressful situation versus an ongoing stress? Are there long term ramifications to living in a constant state of stress?
While short term situations versus long term exposure to stress have many implications within each of their own experiences, it is difficult to say if there is a drastic difference in either. We cannot invalidate someone’s experience and difficulty through a “short term” stressful situation versus their attitude and expression during ongoing stress. However, as mentioned previously, when we are exposed to chronic stress that leads to un-ease of body and mind, it’s often a wakeup call to change something.
Is it even possible to eliminate stress?
I’m not sure we need to eliminate stress. We can be very busy and enjoy every bit of it. Or we can have less things going on yet feel stressed. It’s often our own making. Having said that, strengthening our ability to alleviate the pressure and stress of our increasingly complex everyday lives as well as the many environmental, social, political, and economic impacts that we are surrounded by is very important.
In your opinion, is this something that we should be raising more awareness about, or is it a relatively small issue? Please explain what you mean.
Absolutely. Personally, I have been juggling many balls, especially in respect to my career while raising four children. There was a point in my life when I had to redefine what is most important among the many different responsibilities in my life. What I found is that it’s not necessarily the goal that we set that makes us happy once we reach it, but the experiences along the along the way on our path.
Let’s talk about stress at work. Numerous studies show that job stress is the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades. For you personally, if you are feeling that overall, work is going well, do you feel calm and peaceful, or is there always an underlying feeling of stress? Can you explain what you mean?
In my experience, part of the increasing sense of stress on the job relates to a perceived loss in control. For example, going back to office policies, a supervisor giving us additional workload or covering for a previously reduced workforce, or uncertainty about our job and reliable income, are all factors that can mount to experiencing deep levels of stress. Often the level of feeling stressed is even stronger when we feel a lack of confidence in ourself or trust in the leaders in the organizations we are part of. The question is, what do we have control over? Can we change the way we perceive or react to circumstances? Do we have options? And what is the story we tell ourselves? What exactly is going on and where do these feelings stem from? Are we bruised by experiences in the past? And how can we let that go and move forward? These are questions I encourage individuals to ask themselves when they are feeling a lingering of stress or as if they are in a constant state of worry. It is natural as humans for our body to respond to things that it feels threatened by, so we must be able to navigate that part of our life with compassion and understanding, looking for solutions.
Okay, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview: Can you share with our readers your “5 stress management strategies that busy leaders can use to become “Stress-Proof” at Work?” Please share a story or example for each.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. This helped me tremendously throughout my career and in my working life. Sometimes, we can’t manage it all. But it makes us stronger if we are able to clearly communicate our needs to someone we trust and take care of ourselves first.
- Have a routine. Having a routine or small ritual that you do consistently helps manage stress. Just by having small things such as a breakfast routine, a night routine, or additional tasks that you commit to each day will help your body learn to trust you and have your back in those stressful situations.
- Be around supportive people that are aligned in values. Having people in your corner helps alleviate stress in more ways than one. When you feel supported by a team that you trust, you leave your worries at the door and know that they will have your back no matter what. This can speak volumes in a corporate setting.
- Do something outside of work for yourself. Having a hobby or creating a tradition with your family can help remove you from the constant checking of emails and phone calls after work hours. Spending time for yourself or with people you love, doing something you love, allows you to create a healthy balance in your life, and can improve your stress levels.
- Be mindful. Practicing mindfulness has been a major improvement in my life in managing stress. Being mindful of my thoughts, actions and feelings has given me a deeper understanding of not only myself, but others. This allows me to lead with empathy at work and in my life, and foster a healthy work envirorment for my team.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that have inspired you to live with more joy in life?
I’ve been enjoying books, podcasts and teachings around yogic practices and meditation. It brought me back to the basics of what happiness is while finding ways to live joyfully. Simply being in the moment, disconnecting from our thoughts and constant activity while paying attention and being mindful has made a big difference for me.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Focus on the people vs the bottom line. Yes, the bottom line is important to any business or corporation, but at the center and core of every organization are the people and when they are aligned in values, anything is possible.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
They can visit www.weilerinternational.com/news, or follow me on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/weilerinternational/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/weilerinternational), or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/weilerinternational/).
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.