Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9503310043
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CAMILLE WRIGHT MILLER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: Dr. Charles H. Holland, clinical psychologist with The Counseling Center in Roanoke, said he isn't "surprised by your frustration, because stress is very individual." We shouldn't "expect one panacea to fit everyone."
Stress, Holland said, "involves two components: the stressor and the stress. The stressor is what's outside us; stress is what we experience as a result. Any two individuals will respond to stressors very differently."
To get a handle on your stressors and stress, keep a stress diary. Holland suggests doing this with a "scale of 0 to 10 on how stressed you feel in response to what." Note the stressor, how much it stressed you and specific reactions (headache, sweaty palms, etc.). Use this a basis for reducing stress.
If identifying stressors and reactions doesn't help you implement workshop material effectively, consider short-term counseling to benefit your mental and physical health.
Holland finds that "under prolonged stress, cognitive factors break down." Thinking isn't as clear, and in the "workplace this leads to an increase in errors." There's also, Holland counseled, "a direct and absolute negative physical response" to unresolved stress. Research suggests that "stress interferes with immunological systems, with effects ranging from common colds to cancer."
Stress, Holland cautioned, "is sometimes contagious. We have a stress reaction, take it home, and it becomes a stressor for" family members.
Workshops are an excellent way to gain introduction to a topic. They provide solutions to problems if you find immediate relevance and can easily employ the material. For problems that persist, individual counseling should be pursued.
Q: My company's developing a mission statement. Isn't a one-page mission statement too long?
A: A mission statement is a summary of an organization's reason for existence. The more clearly an organization understands why it exists, the more concise and precise the mission statement.
Every employee should be able to commit the mission statement to memory and see how his or her job supports the company's mission. For a mission statement to be meaningful and useful it should be short and distinct. The best statements are one or two short sentences that fit only one company.
A mission statement, additionally, guides decision making. When new opportunities arise, ask, "How does this opportunity support our mission?"
One flaw common to many mission statements is inclusion of goals and objectives. The statement should explain an organization's reason for being; goals and objectives are statements about how the organization will support the mission.
Success in creating a mission statement calls for all members of an organization to be involved. Break into small groups and let each group write a mission statement. This takes time, since everyone has a separate vision of the company's mission.
Bring the groups together and identify common points from each statement. From that, craft one statement. Allow everyone to critique this statement.
When everyone can support and believe in the statement, the organization should have a strong statement. A later meeting can be used to create goals and objectives.
Successful organizations are driven by their missions. It takes time to write a clear statement that carries so much weight.
Q: I've told my new secretary not to open my mail. She was offended! Why?
A: Secretaries form partnerships with bosses. Opening mail allows them to prioritize incoming mail, stay current with the progress of projects, and enables response to supervisory requests for information.
Limiting access to material limits secretarial effectiveness. Secretaries recognize their jobs will be harder when they're denied materials.
Being presented with material organized by importance (with background files attached) vs. facing piles of unopened mail should appeal to the manager with much to accomplish. The former serves both the secretary's need to know and the manager's need to perform.
If the issue is one of confidentiality, stress to your secretary that all material is confidential. If your secretary violates a confidence, you have an entirely different problem on your hands.
If your concern has to do with personal letters received at the office, instruct senders to note letters "Personal" and ask your secretary to attend to all but personal correspondence.
Reconsider your request and work toward a partnership. Your effectiveness should increase.
by CNB