For the vast majority of people, work involves interaction with others, which means that good working relationships are indispensable to good performance. But pressure is also an inescapable aspect of work, and pressure can cause relationships to suffer.

Pressure isn't always bad. In fact, some pressure is desirable; it generates action. In some circumstances it enhances performance – like an athlete getting psyched up for a race. In the workplace, pressure can bring members of a team closer, focusing the team on a common objective and producing feelings of camaraderie when all are sharing the same pressures. However, it's important to understand how pressure can have negative impacts.

The Science of Better Learning

An individual's response to pressure may be rooted in that individual's work style. Of course, a preference for one style doesn't mean an individual won't adopt another style under different circumstances. Furthermore, an individual's response to pressure situations will vary depending on his or her ability to cope with different kinds of pressure.

Access the learning aid Work Style Behaviors to review the four styles.

Access this learning aid to determine if you're effectively utilizing the benefits of pressure in the workplace.

This course helps you develop skills you need to recognize your personal reaction to pressure and how it impacts your relationships with others. It shows how you can consciously control your interpersonal reactions when under pressure and how to avoid unnecessary tensions. And it details a step-by-step process you can use to stay in control when you're faced with a high-pressure interaction. This all enables you to recognize the importance of professional relationships, and it helps you to stay in control and make the right moves when you're performing with others under pressure.

You think knowing stuff changes the game? You think sitting in a library, stacking up facts like you’re building a Jenga tower, is gonna make you a winner? Man, that’s cute. But life ain't a trivia night. Information alone? It’s worthless. It’s like having a Lamborghini in your garage but you never learned how to drive. You just sit in it, making engine noises. Vroom vroom. People walk by, they see the car, but they also see you ain't going nowhere. You got all this knowledge, all these textbooks, but when life throws a punch, you’re still looking up the definition of "duck." It’s what you *do* with that information that actually matters. Don't be the person with the shiny car and no keys.