Business Stress

The ability to make sound and timely decisions is the mark of a good leader. But when leaders with otherwise strong track records suddenly begin making poor decisions - as seen in the recent corporate scandals that rocked the business world - the impact can be widespread. In The Stress Effect, leadership expert Henry L. Thompson argues that stress is often the real culprit behind this leadership failure.

Whether your performance realm is the playing field, the office, or the classroom, mental toughness is no longer simply an asset. It’s an absolute necessity. Thriving at work and in life doesn’t happen by accident: There are teachable skills that can help you unleash your full potential. Mental performance coach Jean François Ménard will give you exclusive access to techniques and strategies that he uses to help Cirque du Soleil artists, Olympians, and pro athletes become the best in the world.

Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and short-tempered at work—and at home? Then you may have too much stress in your life. Stress is a serious problem that impacts not only your mental and physical health, but also your loved ones and your organization. So what can you do to address it? The HBR Guide to Managing Stress at Work will help you find a sustainable solution. It will help you reach the goal of getting on an even keel—and staying there.

Performing Under Pressure tackles the greatest obstacle to personal success, whether in a sales presentation, at home, on the golf course, interviewing for a job, or performing onstage at Carnegie Hall. Despite sports mythology, no one rises to the occasion under pressure and does better than they do in practice. The reality is pressure makes us do worse and sometimes leads us to fail utterly. But there are things we can do to diminish its effects on our performance.

Studies show that asking for help makes us better and less frustrated at our jobs. It helps us find new opportunities and new talent. It unlocks new ideas and solutions, and enhances team performance. And it helps us get the things we need outside the workplace as well. And yet, we rarely give ourselves permission to ask. Here, Wayne Baker shares a set of strategies - used at companies like Google, GM, and IDEO - that individuals, teams, and leaders can use to make asking for help a personal and organizational habit.

We live in digital time. Our pace is rushed, rapid-fire, and relentless. Facing crushing workloads, we try to cram as much as possible into every day. We're wired up, but we're melting down. Time management is no longer a viable solution. Managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. The Power of Full Engagement provides a powerful, step-by-step program that will show you how.

At Your Best gives you the strategies you need to win at work and at home by living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. Influential podcast host and thought leader Carey Nieuwhof understands the challenges of constant pressure. After a season of burnout almost took him out, he discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you.

Stress Test is the story of Tim Geithner’s education in financial crises. As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then as President Barack Obama’s secretary of the Treasury, Timothy F. Geithner helped the United States navigate the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, from boom to bust to rescue to recovery.

Reduce stress and anxiety, increase your productivity, detox your body, balance your health, and find the path to greater mindfulness with this collection of signature breathing techniques by the world's leading breathmaster, Dan Brulé.

Stuck in cycles of inaction and self-sabotage? Does procrastination keep you from reaching your potential? Every day, your ambitions clash with habits that leave you unfocused, overwhelmed, and searching for a way to move forward. What if proven methods could break those patterns and replace them with purpose, discipline, and steady progress? Discover Ikigai, Kaizen, and Hansei—three powerful Japanese principles to help you reclaim your time, reshape your habits, and align your life with what truly matters.

It took an on-stage panic attack for productivity expert Chris Bailey to recognize how critical it is to invest in calm at the same time that we invest in becoming more productive. Productivity advice works—and we need it now more than ever—but it’s just as vital that we develop our capacity for calm.

When Getting Things Done was published in 2001, it was a game changer. By revealing the principles of healthy high performance at an individual level, it transformed the experience of work and leisure for millions. Twenty years later, it has become clear that the best way to build on that success is at the team level, and one of the most frequently asked questions by dedicated GTD users is how to get an entire team onboard.

"Less is more" - or, more specifically, the less you have to do, the more life you have to live. Efficiency expert Ari Meisel details his "Less Doing" philosophy, which will streamline your life, and make everything easier. In business and our personal lives, it often seems as if the only way to get more done is by putting in more time - more hours at the office, more days running errands. But what if there were a way that we could do less, and free up more time for the things and people we love? If this sounds like what you need, Ari Meisel has the program for you.

In Rising Above a Toxic Workplace, you'll learn how to endure, cope, or quit if necessary. Drawing from authentic - sometimes horrific - real-life stories, authors Gary Chapman, Paul White, and Harold Myra blend their expertise to give you practical guidance, empowering insight, and realistic hope. You'll discover: how workplaces can become unhealthy and how to avoid getting wounded; what drives toxic leaders and why they are so damaging to those around them.

Every business leader and entrepreneur should strive for success as well as deep fulfillment and happiness. Few, however, if they are being honest, actually achieve their goals. This causes great disappointment and disillusionment. Many decide they must make a choice between these seemingly opposing states. Is it even possible to be spiritual, incredibly happy and fulfilled and wealthy - all at the same time?

Based upon his weekly Harvard Business Review column (one of the most popular columns on HBR.com, receiving hundreds of thousands of unique page views a month), 18 Minutes clearly shows how busy people can cut through all the daily clutter and distractions and find a way to focus on those key items that are truly the top priorities in our lives.

The World Health Organization estimates that American businesses lose more than $300 billion a year due to stress experienced by employees, and recent research by Harvard Medical School found that more than 95 percent of leaders felt at least somewhat burnt-out. For individuals and organizations who want to thrive in today's high-pressure, 24-7 business environment, working even longer is not the solution. To maximize your performance and well-being over the long-term, you need to work stronger.

We've all seen it before: the ambitious leader who enjoys great success and then, inexplicably, crashes and burns. Perhaps this leader has been you. Leaders can't sustain effectiveness if they can't sustain themselves. Resonant Leadership offers inspiration, dozens of exercises, and other tools to help listeners become and remain successful leaders in their work and in their lives.

"How To Instantly Connect With Anyone" shows you how to be one of those lucky few, so you, too, can meet new people and converse with confidence; be credible and charismatic in every social and business situation; make friends and important contacts wherever you go; and command the respect of everyone you meet.

Do you often set goals that you never seem to reach? We're all filled with dreams and aspirations. Most long for fulfilling relationships. Some desire personal freedom. Others want fame and success. And some strive for profitable businesses. Wherever your ambitions may lie, goal setting can get you there. We all have important milestones we'd like to reach. The trick is to create a plan and commit to it. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals can help you do this.