Workplace Tip: Always Keep Your Cool
Hi Gang,
Let’s get right to it, today’s workplace tip: Always keep your cool.
Now, that may seem obvious to some, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve have seen people lose their cool. I know sometimes you might think it is necessary to prove a point or to emphasize something. However, rarely is an uncontrolled outburst ever a good thing. OK, let’s dig a bit deeper.
Keeping your cool doesn’t mean sitting their quietly being stoic about everything. It does mean always being in control of your emotions and your actions. It is perfectly ok to be passionate about an idea, but resist the temptation to become overly and overtly boisterous about it. Losing your cool will cause others to avoid you and lose respect for you.
At times, in the heat of battle, voices will need to be raised and gestures will need to become exaggerated, that’s ok. We should use our voice volume, tone, and pitch to better communicate. Be conscious of your voice and how it comes across to others. Good politicians have this skill nailed. In our culture, people are more likely to respect and believe someone who speaks in a controlled manner.
The same goes for gestures. Gesturing is necessary to help you communicate and as such, keep your gestures in control. A firm fist to the table can provide emphasis to a point you are making.
Admittedly, I have lost my cool a few times and invariably I regret it later. The key is to learn from mistakes. Understand the messages you are sending. Remember, you want people to think of you as someone they would want to work for or as someone they want working for them.
Until the next workplace tip, keep moving forward, and bye for now . . .