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Welcome to the no Bullshit Leadership Podcast. In a world where knowledge has become a commodity, this podcast is designed to give you something more access to the experience of a successful CEO who has already walked the path. So join your host, Martin Moore, who will unlock and bring to life your own leadership experiences and accelerate your journey to leadership excellence.

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Welcome to Moments with Marty, your short, sharp shot of leadership insight to help you to stay on track between our weekly episodes of the no Bullshit Leadership Podcast. To be a successful leader in the longer term and at the most senior levels, you first have to learn how to manage yourself. As they say during flight safety briefings, if oxygen is required, fit your own mask first before assisting others. Now, that's not selfish. It's recognition of the fact that unless you're stable and fully functional, you won't be in a position to help someone else. Strong leaders are strong people. They're strong enough to shoulder the duty of care that comes with any impactful leadership career. These leaders have metronomic consistency and they have an uncommon level of resilience. When you have grace under pressure, you learn to recognise and manage the factors that contribute to your emotional and psychological stress. Here are 10 factors that you need to be attuned to. Factor number one is career risk. The higher up you go, the more likely it is that your job's going to be at risk based on things that are completely outside of your control. This can really wear you down. The second factor is personal risk. It's virtually a given that not everyone is going to like you. Getting your head around this and conquering your fear of not being liked will massively reduce the emotional toll of elite leadership. The third factor is fatigue. Mentally, physically and emotionally. You're going to go through periods of intense workload that test your stamina and commitment. Now, I try to stay away from cliches, but a successful leadership career truly is a marathon. Factor number four is conflict. Being comfortable in conflict situations is a key to leadership. Everything you do has the potential for conflict when you're leading. So the sooner you learn to relax and lean into it, the more you're going to be able to reduce the emotional impact of that conflict. The fifth factor is surprising. It's avoided conflict. It's not always the conflict you're actually in that causes the most grief. Sometimes the conflict you avoid can create a lot more emotional stress. What conversations are you avoiding right now? Factor number six is relationship fallout. Whenever you're promoted, some of the strongest and most enjoyable pure relationships have to evolve. You can't maintain the Personal closeness you once had, which can sometimes create a sense of loss and regret. Factor number seven, dissonance of values. Now, as a mid level leader, you're often going to be asked to do things that you don't agree with. You may even be required at times to do things that are in direct conflict with your personal values. No matter how you respond to these situations, the dissonance causes tension. Factor number eight, politics. It's always there in the background and occasionally it rears its ugly head and you have to respond directly to covert attacks, sometimes without even being able to pinpoint the source. More than anything else, I felt the emotional toll of politics during my corporate career. I was trying to play with a straight bat and I really got the shits with people who didn't. Factor number nine is fear of failure. And these days I also think it's fear of not being good enough. I think the popular term is imposter syndrome, but in most cases it's just the natural self doubt that all self aware leaders have. Learning to deal with self doubt and build your confidence over time is an important step in reducing stress. And finally, factor number 10 is futility. Sometimes you'll be asked to do things that you know don't make much sense and they certainly don't seem to make any real difference. Occasionally you'll even question whether you're actually making any difference. This can be soul destroying if you don't manage it the right way. These 10 factors can really mess with your motivation, your resilience and your career longevity. I've seen many leaders simply lose their will to keep fighting the good fight and to opt out for less stressful roles. That's okay. But if you're really serious about maximising your career opportunities and realising your full potential as a leader, it's important to deal with these root causes head on. If you want to discover how to build greater strength and tolerance and greatly reduce the emotional stress of a high flying career. Have a listen to episode 131 of the no Bullshit Leadership podcast, the Emotional Toll of Leadership. We'll leave a link in the show notes. I really hope you enjoyed this moment and that it gives you that extra little spark to be a no Bullshit leader.