Praising "unicorns" in the business world has captured our attention lately, but navigating stressful situations where success is rooted in revealing our similarities. When leaders draw our attention to the commonality we might share in a stressful situation, they're giving us a sense of strength in numbers. The next time you find yourself preparing for or in the midst of a high-anxiety situation, ask yourself who might be experiencing the same mindset. Chances are you have plenty of company.

1. Strength in
Numbers
HOW SHARING THE SAME
STRESS HELPS YOU COPE
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2. Research found that
when two or more
people feel stress and
share their emotions
with each other, these
interactions translate
into less anxiety.
Sarah Townsend, Heejung Kim, Batja Mesquita (2014) "Are You
Feeling What I’m Feeling? Emotional Similarity Buffers Stress ,"
Social Psychological and Personality Science 5, 526-533.
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3. 3 communication strategies
help you use emotional
similarity to navigate
stressful situations.
“Are you feeling
what I'm feeling?”
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4. Convey your
feelings
Set the tone for emotional similarity and
mutual support by sharing your own hopes
and concerns about the situation.
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5. Employees might be filtering your message through
a wide variety of emotions, so what you say needs
to be specific, and sharing more (within reason)
builds trust.
Offer
clarity
02
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6. Avoid throwing anyone under the bus.
Ban the
blame
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