The Balanced Banker
A stress management presentation series for financial services professionals
Financial services is considered one of the most demanding and stress-inducing industries for a reason.
Financial services professionals face unique and often significant pressure at work. They must comply with strict regulatory requirements, manage and mitigate many types of risks, and make decisions that can have far-reaching consequences for themselves, their clients, or the broader economy. They must strive to meet client expectations, which can be challenging in economic downturns. Financial services is also heavily impacted by market volatility, which can complicate decision-making and lead to job insecurity. To all this can be added pressure to perform, heavy workloads, cybersecurity concerns, and strong emotions.
Each of these factors can be overwhelming on its own but these aspects of working in financial services converge on a regular - if not daily - basis.
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It’s no surprise that leaders in financial services are concerned about the impact that high levels of sustained stress is having on their people’s well-being, engagement, and effectiveness.
Effective stress management is about building self-awareness and learning to interact with stress in healthy and productive ways.
Managing stress is not an exercise in trying to avoid stress.
Stress is an inevitable part of being a professional.
It’s an inevitable part of life.
Imagine financial services professionals who...
Can navigate high pressure situations with confidence.
Are self-aware enough to recognize when stress is starting to hinder their success and take effective steps to address this.
Have the tools required to deal with stress without sacrificing motivation.
The ability to manage stress effectively does not hinder performance, initiative, or creativity. In fact, effective stress management can enhance all these things.
I curated the content of the Balanced Banker stress management presentation series based on my extensive research on the topic of stress management and my nearly two decades of experience working in various high-pressure financial services roles. This program empowers financial services professionals to confidently navigate the high pressure of their roles. Participants feel heard as they review examples and talk through scenarios that reflect their daily reality. They learn simple yet powerful techniques and concepts they can apply at work or at home.
This presentation series enables financial services professionals to...
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Respond more consciously to stressful situations.
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Build self-awareness.
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Improve their focus and concentration.
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Increase their effectiveness.
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Experience more joy at work.
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Bolster their mental health.
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By having their teams attend this presentation series, financial services leaders are taking proactive steps to improve their people’s mindsets and well-being. They gain peace of mind from knowing that they are giving their teams concrete and immediately applicable tools to help them be their best.
The Balanced Banker presentation series for financial services professionals consists of the following seven modules.
1
Managing Your Thoughts
We consider a new way of viewing stress and explore how our mindsets about thoughts can impact our experiences. We look at some surprising information about our thoughts and consider ways to create new habits to better manage them. We also practice breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques.
4
Embracing Mindfulness & Getting in the Flow
We examine how to easily incorporate mindfulness into our lives, as a means of stress management. We consider the critical role that presence and awareness play in our well-being and look at ways to get better at being in the moment. We also practice breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques.
7
Planning & Managing Your Time With Purpose
We consider how we can start and end our day and workday with intention. We look at how to mindfully manage our time and review key mindsets to help us maximize our effectiveness. We also practice breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques.
2
Navigating Your Feelings
We continue our exploration of stress by considering the impact that our feelings can have on us. We review various ways to think about and process our feelings without letting them completely take over. We also practice breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques.
5
Practicing Self-Care
We look at several self-care practices that we can add to our personal stress management toolkits. We examine hobbies, nature, music, movement, community, meditation, and other methods. We also practice breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques.
3
Elevating Your Mindset
We examine other mindsets that can affect our well-being. We look at common scenarios and consider how topics like facing challenges, finding meaning, and extending kindness can influence not only how we feel throughout the workday but also our effectiveness and confidence. We also practice breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques.
6
Getting Better Sleep
We explore habits and techniques to help us prepare for sleep, fall asleep, and get back to sleep when we wake in the middle of the night. We also practice breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques.
Each of the sessions above is approximately 90 minutes in duration.
However, the exact duration can be modified to suit an organization’s specific needs. Sessions can be broken into shorter segments or combined into longer workshops. ​Clients can commit up-front to having their team go through all seven sessions over an extended period of time or they can also choose to offer just one session from the series.