September 28, 2025

Gaining Control Over Stress

Dear Uncommon Leaders, 

How was your weekend? Are you ready to take on a new week?

As always, be intentional and uncommon in your leadership this week.

Have a great one!

This Week's Question:

How’s your overall stress level right now? 📈

This Week's Challenge: 

Let’s face it—there’s a lot going on in the world right now, and leadership is already stressful enough on its own.

I’ve noticed that I sometimes ignore my own stress. I just push through, hoping it’ll fade. But ignoring it doesn’t make it go away—and it definitely doesn’t make me a better leader.

When I pause to acknowledge stress—rate it, name it, confront it—I regain control.

And once I’m honest about it, I can start to deal with it.

Your challenge this week:

Take a moment to check in with yourself.

  • What’s your current stress level—honestly?
  • What’s causing it?
  • What would help reduce it?

Maybe it’s asking for help.

Maybe it’s turning off the news and putting down your phone.

Maybe it’s finally knocking out that one lingering task you’ve been avoiding.

Stress is part of leadership, but we don’t lead well when stress is leading us.

Take a breath. Take ownership. Then take one step forward.

Let’s go be Uncommon. ⤴️

This Week's Quote to Ponder:

“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” - Hans Selye, pioneer of stress research

Until next week,

LET'S GO BE UNCOMMON!

W. Kevin Harrison

Founder and Executive Coach

Uncommon Influence

More Nuggets This Way

Browse a few of our popular Sunday Nuggets

May 17, 2026

Intentional Planning

Uncommon leaders prepare purposefully, prioritize meaningful actions and avoid reactive weekly survival.

Open the Nugget
May 10, 2026

Meaningful Challenges

Leadership challenges become meaningful growth opportunities when approached with resilience, gratitude and determination.

Open the Nugget
May 3, 2026

Fueling Yourself as a Leader

Strong leadership includes self-fueling; better nutrition drives sustained energy, sharper thinking, and daily effectiveness.

Open the Nugget

Looking for free resources for your leadership growth?

Sign up to receive our weekly edition of Your Sunday Nugget. Grow with a question, a challenge and a quote each week from our founder, Kevin Harrison. All free, right to your inbox.