Calmness and Leadership

Have you often met somebody or know of someone whom you could describe as a rock.  For me they are few and far between – but when you find them – you know them straight away.  Is it that they are stoic?  Is it that they are knowledgeable?  I suppose the best way for me to describe it is that they possess a sense of calm.

We live in a busy society.  Explosive, reactive, news going in all directions, things to be done, goals to be made.  And then you meet this person and suddenly there is some peace.  I liken it to shade on a hot sunny day.  Relief.

So – let’s examine calmness and what strength and grace there can be in it.  We all know that when we are more attracted to the salesperson who demonstrates a pleasant and steady manner, who imbues us with a sense of confidence about their knowledge.  And the friend that we all respect, the one that we know that every now and then we can just talk to – there is no judging – just the sense that they are calmly taking it all in and will help you sort it out and make some sense of it when the time is right.

But let us look at leadership.  After all – my blog is all about us developing successful lives and generally – leadership is right up there amongst our goals and ambitions.  Don’t forget – we are not just talking leadership at work – we are talking leadership in our lives.

So let us look at some helpful tips that can keep us calm in our daily lives.

1. Deep breathing.  Yes – you are right – we hear it all the time – but it is true.  It really is about getting enough oxygen to your brain to help you make good solid decisions.  So – next time that something is getting a little out of hand and you need to make a solid decision take a few deep breaths first.
2. Calmness also comes from being balanced.  Take time to find a balance in your life.  Even if life is crazy around you – is there a place that you can be to reflect on decisions made.  No – driving in the car isn’t one of them – although it may be the only time you get to be alone.  I used to find that it would be my office at work.  I would get there about 30 minutes before anyone.  Read some important articles that I had put aside just for me.  It was my time.  For some though it might be listening to some podcasts on the way to work and having time to reflect on them – you can travel on the train and still find your own solitude!
3. The power in a smile!  Wow – a small things such as a smile can make the difference to someones day.  But – have you ever been smiled at by the boss when you have made a mistake?  I am not talking that cynical smile or a grimace.  I am talking about a genuine smile.  Then with a genuine chat about how to rectify the problem.  I don’t know about you – but I find that I worked so much more harder for that person than the one that was going to explode.  It is a trait that I have taken on myself in leadership roles.  After someone tells you that a mistake has been made – you have a choice on over how you react.  You no longer have a choice on how not to make that mistake happen this time.  It has happened – build that bridge quickly.  Getting upset only further aggravates you and the other person.  Generally the other person is trying so hard to avoid the conflict that the small details of how this mistake came about never get delved into.  However, if you demonstrate that inner strength, take a breath and put a genuine, no fault serene smile on your face – chances are you will get to the root cause of the problem sooner.  You can then fix it sooner, get the process working properly and earn the respect of your team and colleagues.

There are plenty more discussions that we can have about calmness and how to develop these skills.  I hope you liked this small insight.  But let me leave you with this small thought.  Calmness is not just about being relaxed and not having a fit if something is wrong – it is actually maintaining that focus that is needed to see through all the issues and get a better outcome for the future.

To you in success – I hope that your day goes well.

Cheers

Teresa