Leadership Qualities: A Good “Poker Face” aka Keep Calm and Carry On.
“Control your emotions and actions.” At the most excellent spring AHTD (Association of High Tech Distributors) conference, Chad Williams, a former Navy SEAL, discussed the value of leadership self control. I cannot agree more. A leader sets the tone for his or team—whether they fight, fly, freeze, or worse, panic. There is tremendous value in emotional self-discipline, keeping calm, even under the most challenging circumstances. It’s not easy, but it can be done.
We’ve all seen the popular poster, created in 1939 to keep the British people motivated when under threat of air attacks. The situations we face are not quite as dire, but the point remains. Let’s talk about 3 ways you can keep calm and use your poker face when dealing with challenging work situations.
Let’s say an important customer is in the midst of a tense negotiation, and things escalate—he raises his voice, pounds his fist on the conference room table, and says something derogatory about one of your colleagues. If you match his volume, pound your fist on the table, and lower yourself to pointless insults, the situation will get worse. If, on the other hand, you keep your voice at a reasonable tone, manage your body language, and stay professional, you will likely see the situation de-escalate. You are also leading by example in front of your team, demonstrating what professionalism and self-discipline look like.
If you are leading a team, and the unexpected happens, they will take their cues from you. Let’s say the catalogs don’t make it to the trade show. You can panic, yell at someone, or spend lots of money on expedited freight. The better response would be to keep your cool, adapt and develop an alternative plan that you share with your team: Engage in conversation, take copious notes, and follow-up with the catalog or a targeted brochure within the next 30 days. The team will build their AQ (Adaptability Quotient), and have respect for you, their leader, who kept calm. Later, of course, you determine what happened to those catalogs, so you don’t suffer a repeat.
Sometimes you have to leave your emotions at the door. For example, you got some bad news a half hour before walking into an important client meeting. Emotional self-discipline means you put that aside and focus on the client and their issues, dealing with the bad news after the meeting. This takes practice and a clear set of priorities. Sometimes you have to prioritize the things you can control—like your attitude and your focus with your client. Demonstrating self-control can often turn a bad start into a good ending.
Leaders develop emotional self-discipline, as well as the ability to adapt quickly. These are the soft skills that separate mediocre managers from the true leaders. To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling “keep your head when all of those around you are losing theirs.” Keep Calm and Carry On.
Desiree Grace is an advisor, consultant, and mentor with 30+ years as a senior leader in the electrical distribution and manufacturing sectors. Currently, Desiree is General Manager of Flex-Wind North America and an associate with River Heights Consulting. She builds brands, grows revenue and motivates teams, facilitates strategy and execution, and offers special expertise in helping offshore companies enter the North American market. An experienced professional who enables win-win outcomes for organizations and their partners, find her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/desireecgrace.
We’ve all seen the popular poster, created in 1939 to keep the British people motivated when under threat of air attacks. The situations we face are not quite as dire, but the point remains. Let’s talk about 3 ways you can keep calm and use your poker face when dealing with challenging work situations.
Let’s say an important customer is in the midst of a tense negotiation, and things escalate—he raises his voice, pounds his fist on the conference room table, and says something derogatory about one of your colleagues. If you match his volume, pound your fist on the table, and lower yourself to pointless insults, the situation will get worse. If, on the other hand, you keep your voice at a reasonable tone, manage your body language, and stay professional, you will likely see the situation de-escalate. You are also leading by example in front of your team, demonstrating what professionalism and self-discipline look like.
If you are leading a team, and the unexpected happens, they will take their cues from you. Let’s say the catalogs don’t make it to the trade show. You can panic, yell at someone, or spend lots of money on expedited freight. The better response would be to keep your cool, adapt and develop an alternative plan that you share with your team: Engage in conversation, take copious notes, and follow-up with the catalog or a targeted brochure within the next 30 days. The team will build their AQ (Adaptability Quotient), and have respect for you, their leader, who kept calm. Later, of course, you determine what happened to those catalogs, so you don’t suffer a repeat.
Sometimes you have to leave your emotions at the door. For example, you got some bad news a half hour before walking into an important client meeting. Emotional self-discipline means you put that aside and focus on the client and their issues, dealing with the bad news after the meeting. This takes practice and a clear set of priorities. Sometimes you have to prioritize the things you can control—like your attitude and your focus with your client. Demonstrating self-control can often turn a bad start into a good ending.
Leaders develop emotional self-discipline, as well as the ability to adapt quickly. These are the soft skills that separate mediocre managers from the true leaders. To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling “keep your head when all of those around you are losing theirs.” Keep Calm and Carry On.
Desiree Grace is an advisor, consultant, and mentor with 30+ years as a senior leader in the electrical distribution and manufacturing sectors. Currently, Desiree is General Manager of Flex-Wind North America and an associate with River Heights Consulting. She builds brands, grows revenue and motivates teams, facilitates strategy and execution, and offers special expertise in helping offshore companies enter the North American market. An experienced professional who enables win-win outcomes for organizations and their partners, find her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/desireecgrace.