Cool, checked out or chickened out?

I’ve worked with a company executive whose every move and response was overdramatic. He certainly didn’t look cool. But when a crisis happens, and every one of his highly-paid executives is in a quandary as to what to do, this overemotional, temper-tantrum-exploding business owner would calmly give directions and guide the whole team through the difficult situation. When the dust settles and everything is back to normal again, he’d be back to his usual self – cussing and cursing and making a mountain out of a molehill. That’s his leadership style. Many people couldn’t stand him, attrition in his department is high, but he has the competence to deal with difficult situations, and this is why he remains an asset to the company. Not cool, but effective.

I’ve had people work for me who appear cool and collected, but the truth is they have checked out early. They seem to be in control, but they’re actually detached and apathetic. They pretend they care about their work, but all they’re interested in is the pay and the company benefits, and they use company resources for private affairs. These are the worst people you could have for your enterprise.

I’ve also seen people who chicken out the moment a challenging situation surface. When fire breaks out, they’re out of the building first, leaving the mess behind, and when things return to normal, they have a thousand and one excuses as to why they fled the scene.

Cool? Checked out or chickened out? There are just so many interesting personalities in the work place.

People ask me in my seminars why my ideas are so simple and my stories so practical. My response is that I’ve been there and I’ve done that. I guess a business practitioner conducting the training will always present relevant ideas and application compared to a theorist who has never been through fire.

I’ve had a multitude of failures in my life. When I was starting out in my career, I have been cussed, cursed and publicly humiliated by a boss who behaved more like a jerk than a leader. When I attempted to get into a business of my own with very little money and starting capital, it was a good experience because it was just for a short time; the business closed in record time and incurred losses. I’ve partnered with people I thought I could trust. I’ve sensed something was wrong but chickened out of confronting the sensitive issues, so I just told myself to give the person the benefit of the doubt. Sure enough, I was left with nothing but doubts – the person ran away with the benefits.

Motivational (I hate that term) speakers say, impassioned, “Fail forward! Every time you fail, you become stronger.” Either these people have never failed before, or they’re too naïve to understand life experiences. This across-the-board statement doesn’t take into consideration a very important factor: you become stronger after every failure only if you have the courage to face it and learn from it. But the fact is most people look the other way and live in self-denial, or they point fingers and do the blame-game when they fail. They may look cool, but they’re not cool – they’ve actually checked out and chickened out. Not owning the problem and refusing to hold yourself accountable will make you miss the lesson and gain nothing.

The ups and downs of our lives don’t really even out, and neither do they cancel each other out. Each up and down is a powerful moment in life that teaches us important lessons essential for future success.

I would rather lose my cool, but really care. I’d rather express emotions than pretend to be in control or than check out or chicken out, which would actually do more harm for the organization and the people working in it.

Every winner and achiever I’ve met in my professional life shows immense emotion and passion about what they do. It’s a good thing to be emotionally invested in one’s job. And it’s good to exhibit courage, to own up to the responsibility of making things happen and be accountable to things that have happened.

We can learn a lot about ourselves when we’re under pressure. Every time I’m pressured, I keep in mind that while I may not be able to handle it, there is a God who’s in control. This is the only reason why I can keep cool under pressure.

Emotional yes! But still trusting that He who has created the universe will find my situation extremely petty and simple to solve.

Cool? Checked out? Or chickened out? Time for you to do a self-assessment.

(Spend two whole days with Francis Kong as he facilitates the well-acclaimed Dr. John C. Maxwell Program “Developing The Leader Within You” on June 18-19 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Lylee at 09158055910, or call 632-6310658 or 6310660 for details.)