Book excerpt: Stress is an easy thing to ignore. It seems normal. Everyone is stressed, right? But do you know that stress among your clinical staff and administrative employees significantly affects the quality of care patients receive? It leads to medical errors, near misses, and lower patient satisfaction. As a leader in your organization, you cannot ignore the significant impact that stress can have on organizational performance. This is not a self-help book. Rather, it is an "other-help" book that will explain how to evaluate and address the stress your clinicians and administrators regularly face. After making the business case for addressing stress, it explains how to reverse the burnout your employees are experiencing and reengage them in their work. Topics covered include: The direct and indirect costs associated with stress from the perspective of clinical staff, administrative staff, and the organization as a whole The main theories about stress management and the primary stressors facing clinical and administrative staff How to assess stress and burnout, and tools you can use to determine the extent of the problem in your organization How to identify the common underlying stressors leading to burnout among employees Strategies that shift emphasis from individuals and focus instead on changing the stressful environment in which they work Techniques for sustaining a positive environment so it can remain stress free