By Michael Angier

I ran across the following quote a few years ago and it still makes me chuckle when I read it: "If you can remain calm and keep your head about you when everyone else is losing theirs, then you probably don't fully understand the situation."

But seriously, most everyone agrees that being able to maintain your cool in a crisis is a valuable asset. It's the kind of thing you want a leader to do.

Because some people are able to do this while others freak out, you might presume they're just wired that way. But I think it's a different attitude. I think it's a skill that can be learned.

When faced with a crisis, we want to operate at our BEST. Even though we may face a situation that is out of control, WE shouldn't be out of control. We need to be thinking clearly. We need to be resourceful, confident and focused. And that's not possible if we're at the effect of our emotions. Besides, running in circles, screaming and shouting doesn't inspire the confidence of others present. It tends to make everybody a little crazy.

The secretion of adrenalin into our blood stream is meant to help us. But all too often—because of fear, lack of confidence in ourselves and not knowing what to do—it tips us over. It's called panic.

The trick is to focus our increased energy into helpful activity. Breath deeply. Slow down. Think. Remain calm.

Professional emergency teams practice what they would do in different situations. Doing this helps them if the emergency actually arises because they've already made the decisions beforehand.

We can do the same.

Action Point
When faced with an emergency, we must first ascertain what can be done to eliminate the threat. If we can't do that, look for ways to minimize it. By trying to do everything at once, we end up doing too little, or worse—doing things that exacerbate the situation. Take action, but do so in a calm fashion.

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