by Daniel B. Griffith, J.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Does stress make us stupid? If not stupid, our cognitive abilities are at least compromised when we experience stress. This is the phenomenon of "fight or flight," a natural physiological process occurring in our brain and nervous system when we perceive a threat and act to protect ourselves. There is an evolutionary biological explanation for this process in which our brains effectively shut down to limit our thinking solely to take necessary, immediate action to physically protect ourselves -- to either "flee" from the threat or to "fight" and overcome it. To this extent, we can appreciate the value in becoming "stupid" to focus our thinking when confronted with sudden life-or-death decisions.
This survival mechanism doesn't stop at physical threats but kicks in when we perceive emotional or psychological threats, as may occur in the workplace and interpersonal relationships. Something is said or done that we perceive as a threat to our safety, security, sense of well-being, or ego, to which we respond with reflexive actions to protect ourselves. Rather than physically "fight," we argue, debate, respond with anger, raise our voices, and exhibit other aggressive behaviors. Instead of physically "fleeing," we shut down, go silent, react passive-aggressively, feign acquiescence, and exhibit other avoidant behaviors. While natural and explainable, such responses make us "stupid" if not managed appropriately, impacting our ability to effectively think, perform our jobs, and lead.
The inability to effectively manage fight or flight in workplace, business, and organizational contexts impacts our ability to serve as authentic leaders and communicators. It can explain why, in many instances, leaders and other employees engage in bullying and abrasive interactions and management behaviors. It impacts our ability to listen effectively, work through conflict, and engage in conversations on controversial, political, and culturally sensitive issues.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman, who originated the concept of emotional intelligence, refers to the brain processes leading to fight or flight as "amygdala hijack." As described by Mark Goulston in "Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone," this means "the death of rational thought" as "your brain's intelligent and sensible pilot -- the frontal cortex -- is no longer in control [and] [y]our ability to reason drops dramatically." The authors of "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High (3rd ed.)" refer to this more bluntly as "reptilian brain."
Effectiveness in any endeavor, including performing our jobs and leading others in the performance of their jobs, requires clear thinking. Therefore, someone routinely in "fight or flight" mode when responding to the routine irritations, annoyances, and upsets of daily life is not thinking clearly as a routine matter. While some amount of fight or flight may be expected, and we can all react this way at times to daily stressors, chronic stress as exhibited through constant "fight or flight" reactions is unhealthy and harmful to the individual and to those who must work with them.
Employers must recognize the long-term impacts reactive leaders have on others and on the organization's effectiveness in achieving results. Too often we see brash leaders glorified and purported to achieve great results through "take no prisoners" management practices involving harsh, authoritative treatment of "underlings." In his 2023 commencement speech at Northwestern University, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker draws a distinction between "cruel" and kind leaders. He states, "Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being [and] require the mental capacity to step past our most primal urges," which, rooted in evolution, cause us to fear, judge, and be "suspicious of things that we aren't familiar with." In contrast, "when someone's path through this world is marked with acts of cruelty, they have failed the first test of an advanced society [and] never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct. They never forged new mental pathways to overcome their own instinctual fears and so their thinking and problem-solving will lack the imagination and creativity" that kind people exhibit. He concludes, "the kindest person in the room is often the smartest."
This perspective is consistent with Jim Collins' "Level 5" leaders in "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't" who demonstrate a unique combination of "humility" and "will" to lead their companies to great results. This sharply contrasts with presumed great leaders who exhibit "a gargantuan ego that contributed to the demise or continued mediocrity of the[ir] company." Ego, and our preoccupation to protect it, are prime factors explaining our "fight and flight" behaviors and how they hold us back from being effective performers and leaders. Shane Hughes, co-author of "Ego-Free Leadership: Ending the Unconscious Habits that Hijack Your Business," describes the "ego-system" as a set of "beliefs and fears about our value, and [that] cause defensive and/or self-promotional behaviors when under stress." Our "feelings of inadequacy or imperfection automatically trigger knee-jerk reactions, usually in the form of fight-flight behaviors." This mentality "ultimately prioritizes individual success over the team and mission [and] generates waves of distrust and infighting" within the organization.
We can develop mindsets and practical strategies to manage our instinctual reactions. We can recognize the patterns, situations, and circumstances, and perhaps the short list of people likely to trigger these responses, and develop self-awareness, pre-planning measures, and practical tools that will prepare us to address these triggers when they arise. Daily, we can engage in self-care, meditation, breathing and relaxation exercises, physical activity, and other measures to develop mental and physical fortitude for life's daily inconveniences and annoyances. We can also pause and reflect when confronted by triggering events and develop skills for responding more calmly and proactively when such events tempt primal reactions.
It is, of course, a challenge to overcome the habits of a lifetime. Sometimes, we recognize fight or flight in the rearview mirror after we've reacted inappropriately and regretfully. Overcoming persistent stress responses may involve deeper reflection and support, such as seeking feedback from trusted friends and colleagues and coaching from professionals specifically trained to help individuals work through these challenges. This is also not to minimize deeper emotional and psychological trauma individuals have experienced that require even more specialized counseling.
Wherever you are in your journey, always remind yourself of the benefits to your cognitive abilities, well-being, and personal and professional effectiveness so you can maintain your motivation when managing your primal reactions to stressful events.
This article is republished from HigherEdJobs® under a Creative Commons license.