That "Mission Impossible" Movies can teach you about pressure

I just saw the new movie Mission: Impossible. I’m not going to reveal anything here (because you may not have seen it yet, and besides, I’m not that kind of idiot), but it is absolutely full of high pressure situations!

As in the previous five installments, Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt. And, as in the previous five installments, the stakes are high. What I find interesting, however, is that the three elements that create a high pressure situation for Ethan Hunt are the same three elements that create a high pressure situation for you (four, if your high pressure situations generally involve a beautiful woman in danger).

1. The importance of the result

In the Mission: Impossible movies, the result is often life or death. Sometimes from Ethan, sometimes from someone close to him, sometimes from a large percentage of the world’s population. The point is, there is a lot at stake in the result! His high pressure situations may not be literally life and death (although it can feel that way at times), but like Ethan’s situations, the stakes are high in the outcome!

However, here’s the funny thing. Sometimes we create a high pressure situation when there is not. We do this by artificially inflating the importance of the result. I call this “catastrophism” and you probably have. Have you ever yelled through traffic because you are late for an appointment, because it is absolutely vital that you get to this particular appointment on time? You grip the wheel like a pointer, your blood pressure skyrockets, and your veins feel like they’re bursting through your skin! And what is this important quote? You’re staying with some friends for dinner. Wow. Real life stuff or death there.

I’m not saying that you should minimize the really important things; I’m saying you should stop maximizing the mundane.

2. The uncertainty of the result

Although Ethan Hunt has a pretty good track record, you can never be sure that this crisis will end well. Think of it this way: For you, dining at a restaurant is probably not a high-pressure situation. Sure, there’s a remote chance that you could get food poisoning, but that’s so rare it’s not even on your radar. However, imagine that you are an international spy and you know that someone is trying to poison you. Now how do you feel about that first bite of garlic mashed potatoes? Then what do you do? You stop eating at restaurants. You hire a food taster. You cook your own meals. In other words, it does what it can to make the outcome less uncertain.

In your real world, you can do the same. You practice your skills, you keep learning, you surround yourself with good people. In other words, it does what it can to make the outcome less uncertain.

3. Your personal responsibility for the result

Unfortunately for Ethan Hunt, he’s usually not in a position where he can say, “Hey, this isn’t my problem, but I hope everything works out.” Sure, if that’s the case, you might feel some pressure, particularly if the first two elements are at play. But the pressure is much higher when, like Ethan, you are the only person who can fix it.

So how do you mitigate this? Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes, as a leader, it really depends on you. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, that’s why they pay you a lot of money.

But sometimes we play the martyr when we don’t need it. Sometimes we can share the responsibility but we refuse to do so. How can we share the responsibility? Involving our team. Getting a coach or talking to a mentor. Delegating. In other words, sometimes you don’t have to do everything. Learn to recognize those moments and take advantage of the help that is available to you.

Ethan Hunt’s life is about impossible missions. But yours doesn’t have to be. In fact, most of your impossible missions will be possible when you manage all three elements of pressure effectively.