A CEO's Secret: Proof that taking care under stress increases productivity

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French Version / English Version 

The higher the stakes, the more crucial it becomes to perform at one's potential. This is also when we tend to become obsessed with the target to be reached or the threat to be eliminated. Our peripheral vision narrows. Weight settles on our shoulders, tension in our jaw, fear in our stomach, the quality of sleep diminishes, and so on... Our basic self-care activities go by the wayside. Everyone in their own silo, in survival mode!

To be good, you have to be well. To be well, you have to know how things are going, how you really feel. Many of us run away from this question because we don't know how to answer it or we're afraid of finding an answer we don't want to have to deal with.

“Do as I say, not as I do!”

I support the leadership team of an organization experiencing spectacular growth. The management team was established a little over a year ago. The year 2025 is historic for the organization, which has won a contract that will significantly increase its revenue. The CEO has a habit of prioritizing others when her team is under pressure. She's not the only one to do this! Sometimes, under stress, we can act from the belief that "you just have to be good" and forget that "you have to be good."

During one of our individual coaching meetings, we discussed the leadership's role model. At the previous board meeting, the CFO had expressed concerns about the team's health, and that of the CEO in particular. We could see the overwork in some directors' complexions, despite the summer break. Do you know what I mean? The CFO was sounding the alarm: if we lose our CEO to burnout, we're in deep shit. The CEO was aware that she was setting a bad example for her team by not taking her vacation due to the major business challenges her organization was facing.

Is awareness of a problem enough to solve it? The answer is no. We need to create commitment and generate movement in that direction. The individual coaching plan allowed the CEO to make a concrete commitment to taking control of their situation.

An individual and collective journey

The executive committee following the CEO communicated its commitment to take control of itself and stop sacrificing itself for the cause by prioritizing others. This inspired me to suggest that we begin the meeting with a roundtable discussion to answer the following question: How am I taking care of myself? The team is entering a new phase of its expansion project in the next 6 months. Stress will increase. The margin for error will decrease. We will have to make decisions and grieve. Do you understand the scenario? I thought the conversation would take about twenty minutes and that we would enter into the usual ritual of monitoring priorities, but no. The roundtable discussion took 60 minutes. We were no longer a team of directors under stress, but rather a group of humans who know how to take care of themselves and who shared it with candor and vulnerability. You won't be surprised if I tell you that the 5 elements that stand out the most are nature, physical activity, solo time, connection with loved ones and cultural activities.

Three hours later, when we were evaluating the match, everyone agreed that the exercise at the start of the match was a highlight for the team.

A month later, I meet with the same management team for their executive committee meeting. I ask them to identify one action they've taken in the past month to take care of themselves, in line with the good ideas and strategies they shared the previous month. I also ask them to identify the biggest stressor currently in their lives. My goal with this warm-up exercise is twofold. I want to send the message that what happened a month ago wasn't a waste of time! This is a real intention that will last over time. Then, by identifying each person's main stressor, we normalize the experience of stress and can thus better address it as a team.

Following this roundtable discussion, someone said, “The majority of our sources of stress come from our personal lives!” This observation created a new presence in the room. We are experiencing the greatest professional challenges of our lives, and despite this, we remain whole human beings capable of taking care of ourselves and driven by challenges other than work.

When we juxtapose the answers from the roundtable, to the question, what have I done to take care of myself and what is my biggest stressor, and the conversation that followed, here's what we get: The constant quest for balance can itself become a source of stress, especially in the face of multiple family and work responsibilities. Yet, amidst these challenges—whether it's managing back-to-school, physical pain, or juggling technological systems to deploy—a priceless treasure emerges: the realization that self-care is not a luxury, but the very foundation of our success and productivity as a team.

1. Maintained or even improved productivity : By organizing myself to be “100% for me,” I discover that productivity “isn’t lower,” it’s just “better organized.” It’s about managing realistic expectations and prioritizing what matters.

2. Mental Clarity : Creating opportunities to fulfill my “need for connection”—whether with colleagues, friends, or family—allows me to “stop looking at the wood for the trees.” Tools like guided meditation help me enjoy the present moment, thus stopping the constant hamster wheel of what remains to be done.

3. Physical and emotional resilience : Deliberate efforts, such as finding a routine to go to the gym three times a week, cycling or camping, or going to massage therapy appointments, are good for both the body and mind. These actions are crucial for countering accumulated stress, especially since when the body is in pain, everything else is affected.

4. Grounding and small successes : Whether it's managing to put your glasses aside when you get home so you don't see the mess, taking your children's homework outside in a park, or making sure you get a good night's sleep, every constructive action helps inspire each other and ground you in reality.

The results I just presented to you are taken from a thirty-minute exercise we did at the beginning of the meeting. At the time, we didn't know it yet, but the hours that followed allowed us to realize that September was the most productive month of the year for this team in terms of executing the business plan priorities. Once again, the proof is in: taking care of people as a team generates organizational resilience.