Idea 95: Calm judgement
Reason and calm judgement, the qualities especially belonging to a leader.
Tacitus, senator and historian of the Roman Empire
As a leader, you need to remain calm at all times. By calmness here I mean not exhibiting visible tension or excitement when such reactions might well be expected in the circumstances. As Rudyard Kipling put it:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
Cool, calm and collected: these words are often bracketed together as a phrase. They suggest that a leader’s mental resources are completely intact in the face of difficulty. Calm stresses a quiet approach to a ...
