We need to rethink how we think of pressure and how we manage it, writes author Dane Jensen. In his book, The Power of Pressure, he asserts seeing pressure as an ally as one learns to respond to peak pressure moments differently than long-haul pressures.
Pressure isn’t just a nasty by-product of life, it’s an essential input into high performance. A life well-lived requires pressure.”
Source: Leadership Now, September 6, 2021. Link. Jensen has identified three factors common to all pressure that exist in some combination: high importance, high uncertainty, and high volume. Together they form his Pressure Equation:
PRESSURE = IMPORTANCE x UNCERTAINTY x VOLUME
Jensen asserts the importance of attention control, “the ultimate solution to the pressure equation is being able to consciously and deliberately direct the spotlight of our attention to focus on the thoughts, beliefs, and habits that support us rather than undermine us.”
INSIGHTS: Pressure as a solution seems counterintuitive after all the published media we’ve seen in the past two years. However, after getting past this prejudice, we think many animal health pros can gain some perspective from Jensen’s thoughts and model.