to schedule and prepare for surgeries to be performed the next
day.
Managing Stress
Dr. Yelyuk maintained a grueling surgical schedule. In addition, she
was managing an online business and had a husband and three kids.
Remedies and homework included:
• Practice the homework for the first two goals. The measures for
reducing stress for her staff would also reduce her own stress.
• Reorganize her online business. Alice suggested she hire a fulltime
manager to relieve her of the day-to-day operations.
• Spend more quality time with her family at home.
Tips for the Reader
Do you recognize your coaching clients in Dr. Yelyuk? Are they
sometimes too familiar with people, or perhaps unskilled at management?
If so, encourage them to explore how to get their interpersonal
needs met outside of work. Perhaps discuss the human
resources risks of being too revealing about their personal lives
and asking too much about co-workers’ personal lives. You can
help them prepare for meetings with their colleagues by developing
meeting agendas and sticking to those agendas when they get
together. Avoiding overly personal information will enable everyone
to feel comfortable while also respecting their time.
Your clients might also have too much stress in their lives and
be struggling to cope with it. As a coach, this is an opportunity to
help them prioritize their tasks and time. This might start with
composing a list of superfluous things and cutting those things
back. They can try stepping back and thinking about their life
mission and values, and ensuring that their week-to-week activities
are aligned with them. They can consider delegating some
tasks. Sometimes we get caught up in activities that are not aligned
with our values, are unnecessary, or are undesirable. And as a
leader in their organizations, they should be looking out for the
stress levels of their peers and direct reports. Remind your coaching
clients that sometimes a quick infusion of positivity can help
them and their colleagues. Your clients should not dwell on or try
to fix others’ stress; tell your client: “Be bright, be brief, be gone!”
They cannot change others’ lives, but they can manage their own
work, tasks, and attitude.
