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Stress And Leadership Essay

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Understanding the effects of stress on organizational leadership is a growing field of study (Thompson, 2010). Leaders now have research to support the effects that stress can have on their thinking and decision making that affects the success or demise of the organizations they lead (Amabile & Kramer, 2011; Kaipa, 2014; Thompson, 2010). Great leaders under duress make decisions that they may not have made under pleasant situations. After all, leaders are human. In fact, the reason stress affects them proves it (Amabile & Kramer, 2011; Kaipa, 2014). Humans make decisions consciously and unconsciously from birth. The decisions result from several factors. Each member of the organization has a personal life of family, friends and community and an inner work life. One’s “inner work life is the confluence of perceptions, emotions, and motivations that individuals experience as they react to and make sense of the events of their workday” (Amabile & Kramer, 2011, p. 20). Organizational leaders, however, have the charge to make decisions not only for themselves but for the benefit of those they lead and the organization itself. Consequently, the inner work life of the leader touches the inner work life of all their employees and the successful operation of the company. This paper will explore the magnitudes stress has on a leader’s decision making process. First, it is imperative to understand the science and psychology behind and the components of a leader’s inner work life

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