Chapter 5. Take Control

 

“Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.”

 
 --CLARE BOOTHE LUCE

When things go wrong, when you experience sudden reversals and disappointments, your natural tendency will be to respond with negativity, fear, and anger. Whenever you feel hurt or threatened by loss or criticism, you react to protect yourself with the fight-or-flight response.

As a leader, your first job is to take firm control over your mind and emotions, and then to take control over the situation, in that order.

Leaders focus on the future, not the past. They focus on what can be done now to resolve the problem or improve the situation. They focus on what is under their control, their next decisions and actions. You must do the same.

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