Coming in Hot!!

Most people laugh at the phrase, “COMING IN HOT,” because a person usually uses it when something funny is about to happen. But that is not always the case. I remember the phrase from elementary school, six long years, seven grading periods, forty-two report cards and forty-one spankings later. Every grading period except for one I got a spanking from my father when he came home from work, simply because I got a “w” (meaning “needs work”) in the “Shows Self-Control” box. I dreaded that day because the “W” for me meant whooping, and I knew he would be coming into my room, HOT to “teach me a lesson” in self-control. How ironic.

Speaking of “dreading that day,” I know you know the feeling I am talking about especially if you have had to prepare for a catastrophic event like fires, hurricanes, tornados, floods, or quite frankly a leader’s moods. A leader’s mood most often sets the tone for the workplace environment. Leaders driven by their moods are more like the events listed above. These events, like a moody leader, cause dread in the lives of people.

Unlike the natural events listed, leaders possess a choice whether the existing conditions will control them, or if they will control themselves despite the conditions. Genuinely wise leaders learn to control themselves and will not allow their moods to control them. In other words, leaders lead themselves through their moods to avoid leading others by their moods. When conditions exist that can cause a leader to “fly into a crisis,” wise leaders choose instead to “fly into a calm.”  A “calm” leader is a “consistent and lead-minded” leader. “Lead-minded” leaders understand they are always leading no matter what the circumstances, and they choose to lead well.

Leading well is to lead in a way that builds trust and confidence in those that one leads. Trust and confidence require consistent and level-minded leaders to flourish. I know that at the heart of high-performing teams or organizations with high-trust and confidence environments, there is a calm leader, leading the way and setting the conditions for success.

Are you that kind of leader?