Leadership Lesson: Leaders Keep Their Composure
The stress mounts, emotions get high, and bad news is prevalent.
Welcome to leadership, my friend.
Why?
As a leader, the buck stops with you.
Get used to it.
Now while these can be stressful situations you encounter, a leader must keep their composure.
I was reminded of this last week on a call where things got heated.
As a result, the “gentleman” on the other line lost his composure and threw a few F-bombs directed at me.
Good times.
Truth be told, my primal instinct wanted to return the favor with 10x the intensity.
Yes, I am capable of this.
However, that would have been Bryce 1.0.
Instead, I took a deep breath, lowered my voice, kept my composure, and responded calmly with confidence and persistence.
After a couple of minutes had passed, while he didnt apologize, he said he needed to regain his composure which he did.
The problem?
The damage was done.
He lost my respect.
The worst part?
2 of his teammates were there to listen to his rant.
Whether they will ever approach him or not, he let his emotions get the best of him and broke trust with his team and I.
The lesson?
You can and should get fired up and passionate toward your cause.
That can be a good thing!
But never lose your cool.
If you lose your composure, you cannot lead yourself.
And if you cannot lead yourself, then how can you lead others?
So remember: Leaders Keep Their Composure
