Managing Microstress with Rob Cross

The Evolving Leader

In this episode of The Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender welcome Rob Cross back to the podcast. We last saw Rob in June 2022 (S4, Ep17) and we’re extremely pleased that he’s come back to talk to us about his latest book, ‘The Microstress Effect’. Rob defines microstress as ‘the hidden epidemic of small moments of stress infiltrating both our work and personal lives with invisible and devastating effects’. Sit back and listen as Rob tells us how to break free from this quietly invasive force that is stealing your life.

Referenced during this episode:

The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems
Rob Cross website

Other reading from Jean Gomes and Scott Allender:
Leading In A Non-Linear World (J Gomes, 2023)
The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence (S Allender, 2023)
Social:

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YouTube @evolvingleader

The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.

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Hoofdstukken

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. How would you introduce yourself and your work to someone you meet for the first time? (00:06:04)

3. Did you say loneliness has the same impact on mortality rates as smoking cigarettes? (00:08:52)

4. Why are Gen Z experiencing such a high level of disconnection? (00:10:09)

5. What’s the difference between stress and microstress? (00:12:28)

6. Why is it so important that we become more aware of microstresses? (00:16:02)

7. If we’re overwhelmed it’s easy to find symptomatic solutions. Is that what you’re seeing with this 10% about how they’re managing to cope with microstress or is there something else going on? (00:20:56)

8. You’ve provided an amazing resource in the Microstress app. What are you using that for at your end? Are you collating the data to aid your research? (00:23:53)

9. Your findings with the differences between men and women are really interesting. Did you find any causation or correlation? What’s the root cause of the differences? (00:26:07)

10. How are you seeing this issue play out in the workplace? (00:27:58)

11. In this new book you’ve identify something that is invisible to many people. How is that going to change how we think about how organisations need to look after people differently? How do you see this playing out in the bigger picture? (00:30:31)

12. I love the term you use ‘Second Hand Stress’. What is ‘Second Hand Stress’? (00:34:10)

13. You’ve been talking about loneliness and the need for connection. We’re also now talking about second hand stress. How do people do this well, connecting on a deeply personal level and avoid the pitfalls of second hand stress? (00:36:33)

14. You provide an app and the microstress diagnostic. What can I do with those things to help me raise my awareness and get into some form of action? What would you advise me to do? (00:42:34)

15. And how could I do that with my team? (00:45:15)

16. Can you tell us about the Connected Commons consortium that you’re part of? Can you talk to us about the power of networks at work and what the consortium has unearthed? (00:47:06)

17. You also put a great emphasis on prioritising physical wellness in network groups. What are your personal go-to rituals, practices, movements? What’s keeping you well and who are you doing it with? (00:48:40)

18. What’s next for you? (00:51:50)

19. How can people get in touch with you? (00:52:50)