Managing Stress at Senior Level

Hope all is well! 

I am from a T2 consulting shop in the India office. Currently, at 2 levels below partner. I joined at this level from a technology function (think Accenture/Deloitte/IBM) and I have built expertise in a very specific industry. I totally love my role. It will take about 2 years to get to the next level and further 3 years to reach the Partner level. Compensation is fine and I feel like a "CEO" of my unit. 

The issue is that the stress is just too much to handle. I am handling 2 client accounts, business development activities in few focus areas, and internal initiatives (innovation, team building, training, etc.)

Since joining this firm, my work-life balance has gone for a toss. It's not that I didn't expect the work-load to build up (being consulting industry), I underestimated the stress level the job carries with it. I have a 2-year-old son, and I am hardly able to see him for 15 mins per day. My spouse is very supportive but I can see the pain in her eyes to see me go through this. More than that, she feels bad that I am unable to devote time to my son. 

I want to know (from the people who are at higher-up career levels), how worse is it going to get? I am just wondering, is all the pain worth it? Will I be happy at the next level and at the Partner level? Part of my mind says that the compensation gets my son/spouse a great lifestyle in a developing country and the other part feels that I should be spending more time with my family. What are your thoughts? How did you (or someone you know) navigate through this decision?  

 

I hear you... and I appreciate both parts of your mind.

A question that's coming up right now is...

Is the workload and the firm that's stressing you out or .... you stressing out yourself here?

You are an intelligent folk but don't answer this question with your conscious mind.

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and let your unconscious mind speak to you. :)

 
Most Helpful

I don’t know you, your firm, or the culture of your firm, so this may not apply. But I’ve been in this industry for ~15 yrs and have dealt with many ups and down as it relates to stress and work. 

In general, as you become more senior, you need to lead on what the culture needs to be and set the example. Many times junior people are thought to be “good” because they always say yes to all tasks. You take on a bunch of work and try to get through more than anyone else, and people reward that. There is a ceiling to that, you only have so many hours in your day and you can only be so efficient. As you become more senior you add more value by knowing what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and what you need on your team and organization to make it sustainable (basically, being strategic). No longer is taking all tasks the right way to go, not only that, but it creates an environment on your team that also burns out your junior team (and you have to decide if you are ok with that turnover). 

What I’m saying is that, usually, if the work is overwhelming it is probably because it is too much and not because you are incapable of doing it (or a bad employee). No one is going to tell you this (the partners probably don’t even know what they are sending your way) it is now your job to setup your team to deliver the work (in a high quality way). 

So does the stress get better? Really only if you find a way to balance this. It will not get better if you keep taking on all the projects and try to crush through them. 

Again, just my experience, you may work at a completely different type of place. 

 

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