06/03/2026
Stress is contagious.
We all know what it feels like to walk into a tense meeting and somehow leave carrying stress that was not yours when you entered.
Recently, I introduced a client to a concept I had read about called secondhand stress, and the comparison immediately clicked.
Think secondhand smoke. You may not be the one carrying the stress, but if you are close enough to it, you still feel the effects.
That framing hit hard because this leader thought they were shielding their team from their stress. They were trying to be supportive, respectful, and intentional. Yet the team was still picking up on far more than they realized.
The pressure they thought they were managing privately.
The frustration they assumed no one noticed.
The tension they believed they were containing.
People notice. Especially teams. Especially high performers.
Sometimes leaders think they are absorbing the stress of the group when the opposite is happening. Their stress is spreading, and over time, it can quietly become burnout, hesitation, disengagement, or a team that just feels heavier than it should.
If you’re leading under pressure, don’t assume your stress is staying with you. It probably isn’t.
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