Heated passion or steady-calm
I’ve always leaned toward the passionate side of life. For example, debate energizes me. Public speaking excites me. Advocating for a compelling vision fires me up. I agree with those who say, “Passion trumps everything.”
However, many leadership functions call for steady-calm rather than heated passion. Listening, problem solving, decision making, conflict resolution, and more all require steady-calm. Furthermore, heated passion actually hinders the things just listed.
I’ve had opportunity to watch a leader who excels at steady-calm. I admire his ability to withhold judgment, explore issues, and speak with level tones. On the other hand, I have a friend on a corporate-level career path. I believe his passionate disposition may slow his progress.
The calm side of leadership coupled with competence is the stuff that builds confidence in stake-holders, customers, subordinates and colleagues. Steady-calm makes you predictable, consistent, approachable, and trustable. However competence without a steady-calm disposition undermines the confidence of others.
How to excel at the steady-calm side of leadership?
#1. Relax! If you’re passionate, learn to chill out. Breathe deeply. Don’t let stress and pressure drive your attitude and interactions.
#2. Listen more, speak less and speak slowly. I find passion drives my mouth. The more passionate I feel the more I need to talk. The more I need to talk, the faster my words come out. It’s better to act otherwise. Use passion to quiet your spirit.
#3. Learn to delegate and trust those equipped to manage and lead. I find trusting others quiets my need for heated passion. At this point leadership is more about equipping others to act than about leading the charge.
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How do you think steady calm and heated passion relate to leadership? Do you agree with the importance of steady calm? How can passionate people learn to exhibit steady calm?
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Leadership Freak,
Dan Rockwell
This is an interesting topic because of the microscopically fine line a leader probably should walk between having passion on which they act and coming from a place of steady calm while relating that passion to those around her/him. Dan, you are a wonderful example of someone who acts on his passion and writes this Leadership Freak blog, but if you always wrote from a fired up, emotional place on topics about which you are highly passionate, they might not always resonate with the reader. We must use many skills to communicate our ideas and passions, but the steady calm allows one to communicate more effectively and less emotionally. So I vote for steady calm. (Honestly, though, I am more of a passionately driven person and am learning to control myself better!)
Jeff,
Thank you for your comment. I hope you continue coming back.
I couldn’t agree more on the tension between passion and calm. I think the term that describes the tension is “passionate calm.”
You have my regards,
Dan
Hi Dan,
Well said! This is an interesting post on leadership and requires self-reflection. The points you make are quite reasonable and astute. How can one apply effective elements of leadership if they are overly emotional? That’s a leadership challenge that causes poor decision making, jumping to conclusions, close-minded approaches, etc.
I agree with Jeff’s point on the dilemma of balancing passion with steady calm. It makes me wonder if true passion can drive one toward steady calm in order to achieve results. If I am passionate about something and want to make it happen, it would best serve me to be thoughtful and deliberate in my words and actions.
Another thought provoking post…thank you.
Jen
Jen,
Wonderful to see you again. Thanks for your kind words.
I want to be driven toward steady-calm by passion. I want to be able to express passion when initiative begin, when I need to model commitment, while presenting… then I want to lower the flame while listening. Perhaps using my personal awareness to monitor my behaviors and the responses I’m getting helps?
Best to you,
Dan
Jen Blogs at: http://theexperiencefactor.com/the-x-blog/
It’s a matter of knowing your audience. Passion & emotion are vital if you’re trying to fire up a group. If you’re a military leader, sports coach, or simply anyone trying to generate an environment of enthusiasm, passion & emotion are assets.
If, instead, you’re working with a group focused on bottom-line performance, for example, you’d have a hard tim establishing credibility if your delivery was perceived as more theatrical than practical.
Passion is never a bad thing, however. It’s just a matter of how you portray it. What if you become passionate about remaining steady-calm?
Dave,
Thanks for bringing context to the discussion. Great observation. The locker room or the board room? Love it!
If I can work up the courage, I’m blogging tomorrow on “passionate calm.”
I appreciate your encouragement, feedback, and contribution to the LF community.
All the best,
Dan
David blogs at: http://myflexiblepencil.wordpress.com/
Hi Dan,
So true that I couldn’t agree more. 🙂 I always full of passion when arguing in the meeting about certain things. I found that it made my mind focus too much on my ideas and thoughts that I failed to listen and understand others. 🙂
Syed Ali,
Thanks for your personal illustration. I bet many LF readers can relate.
Best to you,
Dan
LF readers can connect with Syed Ali on twitter:
http://twitter.com/SyedAli_Shahab
Intersting subject – thanks Dan.
How about this as a somewhat unfinished thought – steady calm is the way to approach a situation; but passion is necessary for philosophy and direction.
I think you have to have fire and passion about what you are doing, why you are doing it, and where you want to take it over time – but you also need that calm to deal with the moment by moment situations you face along the road.
Steve,
Thanks for adding value to the discussion.
Your comments remind me of the distinction between leading and managing. I don’t think that answers everything but I think managers need more steady-calm and leaders need more passion. Of course the struggle is leaders need calm too.
Your idea that passion focuses on vision/mission where as day-to-day tasks require calm makes sense to me.
Best to you,
Dan
Shorter than most of my comments. Passion always, emotion never!
Hi Dan, I agree but also have a slightly different view. “I’d rather calm down a geyser than have to jump-start a mud hole,” is a quote that I have loved for many years, because I think it puts things into a very appropriate perspective.
I have the opportunity to lecture or speak on a semi-regular basis. For my work, for the service I do, for the kids’ school when we needed to talk to the city counsel, meetings, when I teach… yada. Sometimes it’s planned, sometimes it’s impromptu. And generally whatever the reason, it is for something I am passionate about.
However, like you I recognize that my passion can cause me to speed up. This is exhibited not just in my language, but my heart rate and breathing too and internally I feel myself winding up like a guitar string on it’s last leg. And when you are keyed up, everyone around you picks up on it too.
So my tactic to deal with this before each occasion is to take a few seconds and breathe. And if I can, meditate even for just a moment. Deliberately slowing your breathing also calms your heart rate. It’s a useful technique as a mother to calm a restless baby. But for speaking, I do not abandon the passion – I transform the fire to a slow calm burn, even visualizing it to help my mind and body comply and I pace my words. Allowing for the occasion in the process for punctuation, fueled by that passion, to come through at the appropriate time. And I do this because that passion is the fuel. That passion is what allows me to do what I do best to communicate a message, whatever it is, to others.
Public speaking, and I think likewise leadership, is often like a musical performance. To truly capture interest (and understanding) from beginning to end, there must be a marriage of elements. Being calm and controlled in action and delivery is part of it. And all through that is a chord of passionate fuel that maintains the process and carries it all through.
I couldn’t agree more. I follow you…religiously.
Dear Dan,
Staying calm is indeed a good leadership quality. It allows a leader to project a right good image of him and drive the organization with collective efforts. He instills better confidence and trust in all employees to turn up to him for any kind of professional guidance, resolving conflicts and working towards the common goal.
It is more of a matured approach and keeping individual respect with humility. People will give their best only if they have a good faith in the leader for the amount of fairness demonstrated with appreciable behaviour.
However, it doesn’t mean that the leader will not act tough anytime. He should be as strict as possible for the desired results without loosing his temper or his being rude to show his dissatisfaction.
In a nutshell, the organization culture can get rightly be built with the exemplary behaviour of its CEO.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your nice reflections. I have actually mostly been too calm, to the point of being boring. It has always been one of my negative points, but the last years I have noticed that when it comes to leading something it has been quite effective and indeed seems to invite trust.
Interestingly, between the people I work together with there is always someone with a lot more passion and emotion. Promoting/inviting their passion keeps the fire burning in all the discussions, and of course in me.
So, I would say don’t be afraid of calming down, things will keep going at full speed anyway!
Hi Dan,
Great post! I need to be reminded of this often – and I am challenged to be reminded that even tho I seem to have an abundance of passion – my level of zeal is not “normal”. Practicing “calm” helps others to get on board with what I am doing without being overwhelmed by my energy. Thanks for the reminder!
This is a great post Dan. The responses have all been very keen as well. I particularly like the quote comparing the geyser and the mud hole. That one is a keeper. There is no doubt that a lot of different elements are at play here as noted in one of the posts. I believe that passion needs to be the engine and the horsepower that drives the activity, the goal, the mission and the vision, however it is the steady calm that keeps one on course and ensures that all on board feel safe and comfortable willing to stay engaged for the long haul. At times we will need a dose of passion to push us forward get us back on track but it is the steady calm that prevents the jerky motion. I really enjoy your comments. Thanks, AD
gI think heated passion and steady calm has its own merits and demerits. bBeing passionate about your goal, dream is good but expression depends uupon situations, people and culture. When people are of similar interests, kknowledge and attitude, then being passionate in expression is acceptable and yield satisfying result but if it is not then it may not yield eexpected result. Leader has to be strategic in expressing passion but in any condition, a leader has to be passionate about his goal, dreams, aspirations in life.
Great post Dan!
It seems to have resonated with people too. I think both are necessary.
To lead you must absolutely have passion. Otherwise, you’ll give up when things get rough.
But to be a good or great leader, you need to be calm and know when to use a calm demeanour.
There is also a subtle difference between being calm and exhibiting calm. Like in martial arts where you’re taught to always stay calm even if you’re being extremely physical.
With a calm reflected attitude, you can channel your passion where it needs to go.
Cheers!
Eric
Eric,
Welcome to Leadership Freak! I appreciate you dropping in and leaving a useful comment.
I love the idea that there is a difference between being calm and exhibiting calm. Very cool connection with martial arts.
Thanks,
Dan
Eric blogs at: http://ericjacques.org/
Found your site due to another Doc Dougherty posting comment here.
The passion needed in an organization is that of the individual team members. How to turn them on and keep them working toward goals is the leader’s challenge.
Too many leaders(males, obviously) adopt the football coach mentality. Last style I would need from a leader would be a Vince Lombardi type screaming at me.
Thanks for this topic. Will continue reading here.
Doc in Baja
Very interesting topic! I have experienced this first hand. I was on a multi-year, multi-million $ project in a leadership role and was very passionate about the overall success of the project. That used to get me in to some very heated debates on certain critical decisions. While I thought at the time that I was providing the needed leadership, the feedback I got from some of my trusted sources was that few stake holders actually felt that I was emotional and worse yet few felt very defensive in my presence. So, to address that feedback I changed my approach a little and started standing back a little and listening in more yet introduced my suggestions in to the debate in a very calm manner and tone. That really helped and people were more receptive and I was able to influence the overall outcomes better than before.
So, to sum it up, I think you should still be passionate but exhibit steady-calm to avoid being seen as emotional and to be able to better influence the overall outcome.
Yes, but too cool can hurt too. I’m guilty. For those like me people need to see that I care emotionally. So I have to manufacture emotion because its not innate. Remember when Obama said about BP Oil.” I’m trying to figure out who’s butt to kick.” That’s a cool response when people just want fire and passion.
Bob,
I see what you are saying. Too little emotion and leaders seem detached.
Best,
Dan