The events of recent years have shown us how the environment has become more complex, changeable and risky than in the past. Events such as the pandemic and, more recently, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have made it much more difficult to manage and understand market dynamics, which are systematically impacted by global events.

1. Andrea Mennillo
Leadership Today Between Stress And Business
Article
4th
August, 2022
www.andreamennillo.org

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The events of recent years have shown us how the environment has become
more complex, changeable and risky than in the past. I believe that this is not
just a perception, but rather a true fact that will be a constant in the years to
come. Events such as the pandemic and, more recently, the Russia-Ukraine
conflict, have made it much more difficult to manage and understand market
dynamics, which are systematically impacted by global events.
Such an environment can only bring anxiety and stress to those who have to
make professional and business decisions on a daily basis, impairing their ability
to assess and their readiness to act consciously. Our motivation, the energy that
fuels the will to cope with life, be it on a personal or professional level, depends
very much, in fact, on our psychological and physical well-being. How, then,
can leaders protect themselves and their teams, avoiding the "somatisation" of
sudden, concerning events?
Clearly, I do not claim to offer a solution in this short article, all the more so
considering that anxiety and the effects of stress are a subject of study and
research by experts in medical science and psychology. However, I can provide
some insights, based on my experience as a businessman, having faced many
situations in which I had to achieve a goal under huge pressure.
One strategy that I consider indispensable for a leader is being able to foster and
maintain good relationships within the work team. This is because positive
interpersonal relationships reduce, even by a great deal, the negative effects of
stress that, in the long run, can lead to real over exhaustion.
However, the success of this strategy depends on the leader's interpersonal
skills, i.e., his or her communication skills. In some cases, these skills are a
predisposition of the individual; in others, they require dedicated learning.
Trust, discipline, positivity, creativity and the ability to communicate through
the correct management of emotions are all dialogic approaches that foster
interpersonal relationships, improving their stability and durability.
The skills required are: empathy, inclusive ability to share, listen and negotiate,
and the ability to manage people by dealing with them in the most appropriate

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way. All of these certainly have beneficial effects on social relations, in terms of
improved teamwork, harmony and cooperation. Not only that, but in an
environment supported and motivated by an engaging network of relationships,
each individual team member becomes a key player and, with it, his or her
contribution to achieving the goal.
These skills have an important potential that, if well exploited, allows for a
noticeable increase in the quality level of "professional environments", with
significant effects on business results. A connection already amply demonstrated
in the economic and scientific literature.
The quality of relationships becomes, therefore, a strategic resource to be used
in every sphere - personal or professional - where everyone contributes by
interacting, each with his or her own skills, to achieve the common goal.
Andrea Mennillo
Founder and Managing Director, International Development Advisory
Chairman Fordham University London Centre Advisory Board