Patience is a virtue: Taking a step back in stressful situations

Getting a little hot under the collar is perfectly acceptable now and again. A heated debate can produce results, provided you don’t make it personal. However, those with a solid set of advanced leadership skills know when to take a step back.

It may seem counterintuitive, but the best decisions are made in a state of calm. Moreover, they can even take days or weeks to mull over.

Staring down difficulties

“Most decisions in management require thoughtful reactions and long-term thinking, not quick, knee-jerk responses,” explained leadership advisor and author Peter Berg, in an interview with the BBC.

Mr Berg went on to explain that being calm in the face of adversity actually goes against human nature. However, leaders must be braced to deal with this fact and adopt a serene mentality in even the most tense situations.

In fact, even a short pause for breath can provide that moment of composure in the most heated business discussions.

Calmness and difficult peers

The findings of the American Management Association (AMA) suggested that a placid mentality helps when influencing and negotiating with difficult employees. Rather than match their unruly behaviour with anger, a thought out, personable approach can help in finding the root cause of any issues.

So, how can leaders maintain their composure?

Well, Forbes contributor Glenn Llopis suggested that being fearless is a key step. Leaders can also encourage those they work with to better themselves by adopting this mentality. This is because when a person projects confidence, they instill it in those they spend the most time with.

Mr Llopis explained that leaders should ask themselves: What’s the worst thing that can go wrong? If the answer to that question isn’t as scary or out of proportion as first thought, remaining fearless in the face of challenges will be easy.

Ultimately, staying calm in fraught situations simply takes practice. The best leaders do it with aplomb, and get the most from their peers as a result.