from Hacker News

Managers: Don't translate your stress

by johndavidback on 8/31/17, 5:55 PM with 8 comments

• by throwaway2016a on 8/31/17, 7:34 PM

  As a manager this has been my biggest challenge.

  I never telegraph my stress to my team members but used to often do it around my peers (managers on other teams).

  Probably because I thought they could empathize so they'd be a sympathetic ear. A few complaints to the CEO about me later and now I've learned to do what the author describe. Even if the person is not someone who reports to you; just go get a coffee, take a walk, etc.

  I am lucky in one regard though, Our CEO flat out told me if I need to stress out around someone do it around him. Which seems healthy and more productive then bottling it up.

• by watwut on 8/31/17, 6:40 PM

  Another important thing is to accept that anger is normal human reaction/emotion and not to feel guilty over being angry. Some responses to anger are bad (when your emotions blow up and you start to insult people just to get back to them or vent), but anger itself is not something shameful or bad.

• by SomeHacker44 on 8/31/17, 7:10 PM

  OMG. Hunger. #1 cause of me being ill-tempered. Never be hungry at the office.

  (Get fat instead?)

• by twobyfour on 8/31/17, 6:05 PM

  This is such a great point. Anyone have tips on tactics for catching yourself externalizing your stress?

• by purplezooey on 8/31/17, 7:48 PM

  "one of the greatest individual contributors of all time".... oh really! cool.