Preventing Monday Heart Attacks: Removing Stress with Great Leadership

By Andrea S. Garrido

Waking up at 7:00am on Mondays is not an easy task for anyone. We hear the alarm and most likely our first reaction is to hit the snooze button once… twice… and even three times. It is one of the most dreaded moments of the week. 

According to studies, the majority of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events occur on Mondays. I am going to call this phenomenon the “I Hate Mondays Heart Attack,” or IHMHA. The IHMHA is caused mainly by work stress. We all know a little bit of stress is perfectly fine; it keeps us on our toes, gives us an adrenaline boost, and positions us for that “Congrats John, you did an awesome job” pat on the back. However, those times we stress to excess without as much as a thank you are a major cause of the IHMHA.

In many cases, the IHMHA occurs when we feel we are working for an unreasonable person, with below average leadership. In my own experience working under excellent and not-so excellent leaders, I have witnessed the tremendous difference a great leader makes. It doesn’t matter if your job is not the best or if the industry you are working for is not your cup of tea; it all looks up under great leadership.

I was fortunate enough to see it first-hand at a healthcare company I worked for, where for the first time in a long time I would wake up Monday mornings sincerely happy it was the start of a new week. I even looked forward to my one hour commute to work. Leadership at this company was well aligned and thoughtfully administered – which made a huge difference in the work environment.

A key part of the successful leadership at this company was communication. When employees start feeling more involved with their company, they begin to hold themselves accountable for their work and for the actions they take. This makes the job more than a collection of daily tasks employees must perform; it makes them feel like an integral part of an extended team.

Simple things like thank you emails or noting birthdays greatly increase work satisfaction. And working under management that knows the company inside out and motivates employees to do better and become better at what they do every day gives employees incentive and fosters individual growth.

It is time to improve Mondays, and it starts with leadership that is upgraded by the benefit of feedback from employees. Let’s stop the “I Hate Mondays Heart Attack,” and help companies improve their leadership.