Central Government - executive team under pressure

An executive team within the central government had been operating under high pressure for an extended period. Strategic decisions took increasingly more time, tensions within the team grew, and important choices were regularly postponed.

The executive members continued to function on dedication and willpower, but noticed that this was unsustainable in the long term.

The situation

The strain came from multiple sides simultaneously. Political and policy pressure remained high, while there was little room to step back and prepare decisions with sufficient focus.

• strategic decision-making slowed down;
• tension and friction within the executive team increased;
• executives operated under prolonged high pressure;
• rest and focus received insufficient space;
• clear agreements regarding availability and decision-making were lacking.

The approach

Centrum voor Stressmanagement deployed Brain Wellness to gain deeper insight into the stress perception, focus, and decision-making patterns of the executive members.

The results served as the starting point for concrete changes in how the executive team operated.

Insight into stress and focus

Individual workload and focus were analyzed for each executive member. Additionally, a shared understanding of patterns influencing the team emerged.

Clearer decision-making

Agreements were established regarding when and how key decisions were made, ensuring strategic topics received more space and attention.

Focus and accessibility

The executive team established clearer agreements on availability and the safeguarding of uninterrupted time for concentrated work.

Evaluation and adjustment

Every four weeks, a brief evaluation was held to assess how the agreements worked in practice. A follow-up measurement followed after four months.

What changed?

The combination of insight, guidance, and concrete agreements brought greater calm and clarity within the executive team.

• the time required for decision-making decreased;
• perceived stress among executive members dropped;
• focus measurements showed improvement;
• friction during meetings decreased;
• executives became more conscious of focus and recovery.

Why this approach worked

The solution did not lie in working even harder or adding more capacity. The greatest gain came from reorganizing attention, availability, and decision-making.

Because insights were linked to concrete agreements and regular evaluation sessions, changes could be sustained even during busy periods.

“It did not feel like weakness, but like professionalism. That made the difference.”

Director-General · anonymized

What other organizations can learn from this

• prolonged pressure can impact decision-making even at executive level;
• insight into stress and focus makes it easier to discuss workload;
• clear agreements on accessibility protect focus and recovery;
• role-model behavior by executives positively impacts the rest of the organization.

Recognizable within your executive or management team?

When decision-making slows down, tension within the management team mounts, and leaders operate under sustained high pressure, it can help to first identify where the greatest strain originates.

Centrum voor Stressmanagement supports executive and management teams in strengthening focus, decision-making, and healthy functioning under pressure.