He showed all the signs of physical meltdown. Bead of sweat on the forehead. Clammy skin. Disengaged and withdrawn. Rapidly turning pale. Yet his ignorant flight instructor was about to commit an unforgivable error.

Sean had traveled from England to become a “skilled aviator.” He was motivated to the max. To be the best of the best.

But on his very first lesson, something weird happened after takeoff. Rank boredom settled in. Total disengagement. Laziness!

Can you relate to this? A normally energetic firecracker co-worker all of a sudden just “checks out.” Like a flipped-off light switch, there’s no interest. No juice. Zero, zip, nada. The person transforms into a disengaged, slow-moving slug.

Sean showed these very same signs. His “air-boss” became miffed with the apparent in-your-face lethargic loafing. How could anyone flake out so quickly?

To reverse this workplace insult, the flight instructor took remedial action to correct the errant behavior.

“Hey Sean, watch this!” he said, as he cranked the airplane into a series of gut-wrenching steep turns.

The outcome was ugly. Real ugly.

            Click here for the 45-second inflight audio

This disaster could have been prevented. Sean’s “warning signs” were not unlike those you see in today’s high-strung workplace where the average employee is gagging on overload.

In aviation, we call this “task saturation.” Simply having too much to do with too little time or resources to manage the task. The result is stress, resignation and ultimate disengagement.

However, there is a four-part remedy to help you and your coworkers buck the winds of change, stressful pressure and the incessant need to do more with less.

1. Communicate. Others may not read your stressed-out body language. Before the situation becomes critical (or you become “ill”), voice your situation.  What may seem obvious to you may go unnoticed by others.

2.  Navigate. Be aware of your course and possible “bad weather” ahead. Make deviations if necessary to steer away from an obvious snake pit of trouble. Be situationally aware of the environment around you to mitigate surprises.

3. Simulate. The power of mental imagery is simply undeniable. Identify your most egregious workplace demands, then “see” yourself managing in a state of command over demand. You will become what you see in your mind’s eye. Stressed…or stabilized. Your choice.

4.  Recreate. Go on a one-minute mental vacation.  If you feel yourself “losing it,” stop! Momentarily retreat to your favorite calm spot. A quiet room, beach, sunset, garden, golf course or other getaway. With practice, this brief interval will soothe your nervous system and short-circuit mounting stress.

These four actions will go a long way to keep task saturation from ruining your day. Pay attention to your condition and the condition of others. Don’t ignore the the signs. Otherwise things could get ugly.

And believe me, you don’t want to go there.

I was that “ignorant flight instructor.”

OMG…