I don’t know about these weekly meetings. I thought they were going to be helpful in terms of getting everyone on the same page and understanding the distribution of tasks across all departments, as well as holding everyone accountable for their responsibilities. I thought they were going to minimise incidents of doubling up, make delegation simpler, and generally reduce stress. Yet here I am, sitting on the floor of my awesome private office, feeling utterly unable to deal with tomorrow’s meeting.
It’s like, get it together, nervous system. It’s well over 12 hours away, and I can still get in a good night’s sleep if I just get up and go home now. The problem is that I’m terrified of being the centre of attention and an authority figure, and that’s exactly what I’m expected to be tomorrow morning at 9am sharp. I’m not prepared – at least, I don’t feel like I am – and I’m convinced I won’t be able to sleep.
Can you get a doctor’s certificate for an acute case of impostor syndrome? I’ve heard that stress leave is a thing, and I can now honestly see how it could come to that. Evidently, there’s a dire need for in-depth training in corporate stress management. Melbourne workplaces might be global leaders in proximity to excellent coffee and – let’s be real – overall working conditions. But even so, they still leave something to be desired when it comes to prioritising health and wellbeing. More emphasis on stress management training and education would go a long way.
When you’re an executive, you’re suddenly perceived as living the dream, and no longer have free reign to ask for psychological support from your peers. In reality, of course, the loading of stressors is actually more intense – perhaps not in a day-to-day financial sense, which is a big deal. But there are other things to be stressed about in life, and responsibility for delivering visionary and empathetic leadership is one of them (for me, at least).