When deadlines approach and finish lines are close, leaders sometimes need to create pressure to keep team members focused and fully engaged.
Without meaning to, frustrated leaders often apply pressure more negatively than they realize.
Leaders don’t usually set out to create negative pressure. But they sometimes get fooled by what they think the situation calls for. They read the moment as requiring a heavy hand without realizing the negative consequences of their tactics.
Negative pressure — urgency misapplied — can quickly erode performance and trust. In fact, when pressured negatively, team members often lose urgency.
Here’s what negative pressure looks like: Everything is urgent. The leader introduces constant fire drills, tight deadlines, and last-minute changes. The leader chooses not to make a distinction between truly critical work and routine tasks. Everything becomes a priority as a result.
They push people harder, demanding faster results, while leaving little room for recovery or reflection. Their expectations become unrealistic as they refuse to acknowledge any constraints.
They consistently tell people to work harder, smarter, and longer. They repeatedly remind people of the consequences of failure and are quick to express their disappointment at any pushback.
The alternative to this overly pressurized leadership is much more effective, especially in the long run.
Positive pressure is reflected by an attitude of calm and confidence. Good leaders own the urgency with the team, not with frenzy, but by showing up in support. “What can I do to help?” “Can you walk me through how we’re approaching this?” “What’s getting in your way and how can I help remove it?”
They express confidence in the team’s ability. “This is a stretch, but I’m confident we can handle it.” “This team is doing such great work. The results will come.”
They also know the costs, both human and financial, of rework. So, they ask the team to establish milestones to ensure quality.
Because most other projects don’t include these milestone checks, adding them signals to the team that this moment is different and deserves more focus.
Positive leaders also go out of their way to explain why more urgency is needed without resorting to threats. They explain the reasoning behind the need to increase speed and focus, and when the pressure will dissipate.
When leaders turn the moment into a fire drill, the team becomes firefighters, not performers.
The best leaders apply positive pressure and only at select times. When everything is urgent, nothing is important, and the team loses its balance.
