Sorry to differ with you, Mr. Jalasanan, at least on the point of your substitution of the term "stress" with the term "distress." In fact, distress is the result and effect of the reason for stress. Distress does not happen automatically without the event of stress. Although stress is also included in the dictionary as one of the meanings of distress, it is as a verb form for upset, not as a noun form of distress. So, please recheck what is what.
Secondly, when a person is already short of time due to several reasons of stress, where is even a little bit of time for him to read and learn the bulky books and literature on the following skills, as suggested by you (besides the three others recommended separately):
- Time Management
- Emotional Intelligence
- Delegation and Monitoring
- Think Big
- Positive Thinking
- Effective Communication
- Team Building
- Bulletproof Manager
In fact, a duly stressed person needs practical on-the-job counseling by a psychologist for just 10-15 minutes for 2-3 days, without mincing words, after knowing the real cause of his stress to enable him to identify his most important jobs, prioritize them, and streamline those jobs by making quick decisions.
Such literature is available in plenty in the open market, but it lacks practical solutions on how an executive should remain relaxed in all circumstances and environments. In several organizations, I have seen several bosses keep their team members stressed without giving any specific instructions, directions, or ways of working. In one organization, a very senior executive went to his lady boss and asked her how to accomplish the job assigned by her. Her pat reply was, "I don't know, do it however you like, but it should be completed by this evening." The executive had to return empty-handed, unsure of how the job could be completed by the evening.
Incidentally, I was sitting before her when that discussion cum dialogue happened. I quipped, when she did not know how the job could be handled to be completed by the evening, how could she expect her junior to know better than her, unless he is more knowledgeable and intelligent than her. Was he so? She felt a little bit ashamed of my remark.
On the other hand, about 50 years back, with just a few years of my job experience to my credit but raw in knowledge about the reservation rules on recruitment in jobs, my boss called me, handed over the roster register to complete with reference to the various recruitments made, in plenty for one cadre. Without my asking, he felt he must first be made aware of the process. So, he came down to the visitor chair, sat with me, opened the register and the recruitment document, and started filling in the particulars of the reserved and unreserved category candidates according to the roster points meant for them, asking me to pay full attention. He explained every practical aspect while filling in the entries in the register. He entered at least 20 to 25 reservation particulars in the roster register with his own hand to make me perfect. Then I asked him not to do so, as I had already understood the whole process.
As I believe, practical knowledge-oriented training added with a psychological approach is a must for bosses to reduce the element of stress from the minds of their employees, not theoretical sermons.
Regards