Stress is good.
Let’s start with a fact: Stress is good.
Yes, you read that right. Stress makes us perform. Without stress, we wouldn’t get things done or drive change. Stress is the force that activates us into action.
What is stress?
Hans Selye (1977), widely regarded as the father of stress research, emphasized the fundamental nature of stress in human biology "basic research has demonstrated that stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand". He highlights that stress is not inherently negative; rather, it is a general biological reaction to any internal or external pressure.
In turn, Chu et al. (2024) define stress as follows: “Any physical or psychological stimuli that disrupt homeostasis result in a stress response”. The stimuli are called stressors, and physiological and behavioral changes in response to exposure to stressors constitute the stress response.
In general, stress can be defined as an unpleasant and uncontrollable experience of heightened physiological arousal (Kim & Diamond, 2002).
For humans, stress can be triggered not only by external pressures, but also by our own thoughts – or even excitement. When the stress system activates:
our attention narrows to details
heart rate increases and breathing quickens
the body prepares for action, and sensations fade into the background
the brain shifts into a reactive mode: prefrontal cortex functioning changes and deliberation narrows
Biologically, this is useful. It helps us survive and act quickly. But… This comes with a cost. While stress energizes us, it undermines:
broad, integrative thinking
collaboration
empathy
curiosity
learning
These are exactly the skills modern leadership and organizations depend on. And the skills AI will not replace.
Therefore, problems don’t arise from stress itself — they arise when we don’t recover between stress episodes. Humans — and every single cell in us — require recovery. Not just to feel good, but to function at all.
What does this mean for leadership?
Stress is not the enemy. Chronic stress is. We need stress. We also need recovery.
At Systemic, I work every day to help organizations harness stress in the right way — building workplaces where physiology supports performance, clarity of thought, and effective collaboration.
I am conducting my doctoral research at Tampere University, focusing on how stress contagion unfolds in teams within organizational contexts. The topic matters because it touches every workplace and every leader.
Why am I studying stress contagion in teams?
Because stress and mental health challenges are defining phenomena of our time. An estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety, at a cost of US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity (WHO 2024)
Because I am passionate about unlocking organizational potential, organizational performance, when people’s full capacity is available.
Because physiological stress management is possible. Simple. And hard.
References
Chu, B., Marwaha, K., Sanvictores, T., & Mendez, M. D. (2024). Physiology, stress reaction. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/
Selye, H. (1977). A code for coping with stress. AORN Journal, 25(1), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-2092(07)68496-8
