“Slow and steady” wins the race doesn’t work for start-ups; you have to hustle. However, staying calm and cool through the crazy roller coaster ride of building a business is crucial.
How are we going to do all of these promotions at once? We need so many people and so many resources… and we need them all yesterday. I know we want to grow and scale, but the pressure of scaling this fast is insane.
That was the feeling among my team at influencers@ this past week. Our business has been exploding in growth and as we get more clients and build out ChatterMob, the stress and pressure has built up as well. Tension is high and in times like that, it is really easy to lose your cool, panic and snap at everyone in your path. Leaders: listen carefully… don’t do that. As a leader, your team looks to you to have everything under control, because if you don’t, they might not either. Leaders who panic and snap appear to have no control. Consider the following to remain calm and cool even under the hottest pressure:
1. It’s all in the voice
Speak slowly and clearly. Don’t raise your voice or race through your words. It is amazing how effective this is… give it a try.
2. Speak logically
When there is pressure and agitation, it is easy to jump to circles: spitting out lots of ideas at once and spinning your wheels. Avoid that and instead, express your ideas in logical lists with as few words as possible. For example: “First, we will develop a new recruiting strategy and second we will travel to New Hampshire to execute it next Wednesday.”
3. Identify the Problems
Many times people can’t stay calm because they know there is a problem but cannot pinpoint what it is or the cause… and that is stressful! Figure out what is causing the problem before you start racking your brain on crafting a solution.
4. Stay Organized
It’s tough to be calm when everything is all over the place. Organizing your thoughts, your team and objectives are all helpful in staying cool.