This Is How the Best Bosses Remain Calm Under Pressure

The dichotomy of reactive vs. responsive leadership.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

I am a highly-driven, albeit anxious, person. My drive for achievement is inextricably tied to a demanding impatience and, at any given time, I’m probably worried about something. We take the good with the bad, right?

Now, imagine that I’m your boss at a time when the stakes are high and the pressure is on. Perhaps there's an important new product launch date that you’re at risk of missing or a major mistake you made that you don’t know how to fix.

How are you feeling? Stressed? Anxious? Worried? Same.

When you bring your stress and worry to me for help and guidance, I have two choices in how I handle it — I can pile my own anxiety on top of yours, or I can remain calm in the face of an even greater level of stress than I felt before you walked into my office.

I can be reactive or responsive.

I’ve experienced both approaches, and here’s what I’ve found to be true.

Reactive leadership

Reactive leaders fail to take the time to calmly digest the problem presented to them and, instead, jump straight into fight-or-flight mode.