Are you overstressed? So many of the people I coach despair about being over-committed and over-stressed at work. They say they don't know how to get off the treadmill. Their work-life balance is a joke, and they feel unable to be the loving parent and partner they would like to be. Does this sound like you?

The last 18 months have come with a number of new challenges, scenarios and uncertainties for organisations and pretty safe to say that for many, their people coped with change and the unknowns better than expected. Similar to the Global Financial Crisis, people were more likely to adopt and adapt.

Too many people making demands on you? Too much to do and too little time to do it in? Too many e-mails and too many meetings? Does everyone want a piece of you? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. People working in organisations today are increasingly stressed, having to achieve more with fewer resources.

The reality of being a leader in an organisation is that you will, from time to time, have to have hard conversations with your employees. Whether having to let someone go or reflect on performance not delivered to a satisfactory level, it is an undeniably unpleasant experience. If you don’t excel at or relish managing these situations, here are a few quick tips to help get you through.