Stress in leaders, according to Cristina Taboada, is often about misalignment. And as the top coach in one of the world’s top business schools, we think Cristina knows what she’s talking about.

When we started exploring how pressure is impacting leaders, we came across a seeming paradox. On the one hand, levels of stress today are chronic, and we think they’re undermining the ability of leaders to make good decisions under fire. On the other hand, plenty of leaders tell us that stress can be energising and sharpens their thinking. What’s going on?

If you’re in the military, or emergency medicine, or aviation, stress is not treated as an unfortunate by-product of the job. It is treated as part of the job itself. Not so for business leaders.