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April 2026
Ella Jaczynska
As we come to the end of Stress Awareness Month, we have been taking a moment to reflect on the word stress. People say they are stressed, teams say they are under stress, organisations talk about reducing stress. It has so many negative connotations – but one area we often talk about is the importance of considering that there is actually an optimal level of stress.
Something we find is a helpful way to reframe this thinking pattern is through the pressure/performance curve. It shows that stress isn’t inherently negative. In fact, the right level of pressure is essential for us to perform at our best.
The Pressure / Performance Curve
Too little pressure leads to boredom, low energy, reduced focus, and disengagement. We see this in roles where there is not enough challenge – people drift, motivation dips, and performance plateaus. At the other end, too much pressure creates overwhelm and crisis. This is reflected in weakened decision-making and increased mistakes.
The Optimal Stress Zone
In between the two ends of this scale is the optimal zone. This is where pressure sharpens us. We feel focused, motivated, and able to perform with confidence and intent. This is what we would describe as healthy high performance.
The challenge is that many people only recognise stress when they are already past this optimal point. The language becomes binary – either “I’m fine” or “I’m stressed” – when in reality, performance is constantly moving along this curve.
In our work with teams and leaders we frequently see this in real-world scenarios. One recent scenario was a once high-performing leader of a large financial team with a huge workload. He had tipped into crisis as he had been working relentlessly at a level of overwork, high pace and overwhelm for an extended period of time – without the tools, resources and mechanisms to bring himself back to an optimal effective state.
These were not failures of his or his team’s capability. They were signals that the pressure performance balance was significantly out of kilter.
He got himself back into his optimal zone – not only defining and implementing a number of factors (insights, processes, behaviours and actions) to support that, but he also by looking the team’s processes and behaviours to see where the vulnerabilities were that could potentially tip him and the team back into the unhealthy crisis zone. Over the next few months he addressed these factors, along with his team. And the results have been profound; not only in terms of their well-being and cohesion as a team, but also in their effectiveness and productivity.
Today’s fast-paced workplace has changed the environment we are operating in. Expectations for delivery and pace are higher. This means people are often spending longer outside their optimal zone, usually without the awareness or tools to help them recognise or resolve the situation.
This is where we believe mindset and effective coaching play a critical role.
Coaching to improve stress reactions
When individuals understand how they respond to pressure – what drives them, what triggers them, and how their thinking shifts under strain – they can take action early, put in the necessary interventions and therefore are far better equipped to stay within their optimal zone for longer. Coaching creates the space to build that awareness, but more importantly, to translate it into action. It helps people recognise the patterns that pull them beyond their optimal stress zone and challenges unhelpful beliefs. It enables individuals to step back, reassess, and choose a more effective response rather than defaulting to reaction.
At a team and leadership level, coaching also builds the capability to spot these patterns in others. Leaders who understand the pressure/performance dynamic are better able to create environments where challenge drives performance without tipping into sustained stress. They are more intentional in how they set expectations, support their teams, and role model healthy high performance.
The reality is that pressure and stress aren’t going away. If anything, they will continue to increase. The differentiator will be those who know how to work with stress, rather than trying to eliminate it or be driven by it.
As we move beyond Stress Awareness Month, we hope the opportunity is clear for all. Invest time in building the mindset and capability that allows individuals and teams to consistently operate where they perform best.
If you’d like to find out more about how we work with leaders and teams to nurture healthy high performance, do please get in touch!