“There are three types of stress. There is ‘no stress’, which means you don’t care and don’t bring your best. There is ‘debilitating stress’, which is not good for you or your family. And then there is ‘performing stress’, which helps you pull out the best you have in the moment. That is my level right now.”

Right before Dr. John Townsend walked up to shred a guitar to some old Blink 182 songs with the band he has with his sons, I asked him if he was nervous. In a brief moment he talked to me about leaders and the three different types of stress we can face.

Before I share his insight, let me set the scene.

He invited us to a block party in his neighborhood, and he was hanging with his neighbors and being the generally great guy that he is. Not only is a renowned author, leadership coach, psychologist, and founder of the Townsend Institute of Leadership and Counseling at Concordia University, he is also and more importantly a great husband, father, and a deeply committed follower of Christ. Kaye and I have enjoyed getting to know John and his wife, Barbi. He was about to go play some music and I was curious if he gets nervous in these types of settings. He replied:

There are three types of stress. There is “no stress”, which means you don’t care and don’t bring your best. There is “debilitating stress”, which is not good for you or your family. And then there is “performing stress”, which helps you pull out the best you have in the moment. That is my level right now.

Mic drop.

And then he went and picked up a real mic and started with a Journey song before moving into some Southern California punk. As I listened I thought about what he shared and the three different types of stress leaders face.

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