• Great leaders can control their emotions (especially in high stakes scenarios).
• Problems will never go away. Your life will be filled with moments when emotions can get the best of you.
• In these moments, great leaders respond with empathy and a big picture perspective.
• Focus on truly understanding what the other person is saying without immediately formulating a response.

• There’s 2 roles of a (business) leader.
1. Get people to want to do, what must be done.
2. Do not let your self & your ego get in the way.
• You can always be honest AND positive.

Challenge #1

Challenge #2

Challenge #3

Challenge #3.5

Challenge #4

“The character that takes command in moments of crucial choices has already been determined. It has been determined by a thousand other choices made earlier in seemingly unimportant moments.” - Ronald Reagan

“Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent” - Indra Nooyi

“If we take man as he is, we make him worse. If we take man as he should be, we make him what he is capable of becoming.” What someone is today is not what they will be tomorrow. Help them become what they can be. - Victor Frankl

"Anyone can become angry — that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way — this is not easy." - Aristotle

Zoom out. You’ll see the insignificance of your problem. We are a tiny little dot in the vast vast universe.

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space you can choose your response.”

- Victor Frankl

“Those who can keep stay calm and collected under pressure will always succeed” - Walter Isaacson

"I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions." - Stephen R. Covey

"If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far." - Daniel Goleman

We’re all just a monkey with a plan. A bunch of atoms and cells interacting randomly with each other. Everything is just human concepts in our mind. Don’t take things too seriously.

Stoicism

• A Guide To The Good Life - a holistic intro to stoicism, William B. Irvine
• Meditations - Marcus Aurelius’ personal diary

Mindfulness/Awareness

• The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle
• Mindfulness In Plain English - great for sharpening your skillset of responsiveness

Commmunication/Other

• Crucial Conversations - tools for talking when the stakes are high
• Nonviolent Communication - Marshall B. Rosenberg
• Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman
• Mindset - Carol Dweck

Vulnerability/Empathy

• The power of vulnerability - Brene Brown
• Empathy - Brene Brown
• Empathy Classroom - Brene Brown

Management/Other

• How to Raise an Employee’s IQ by 10 Points in 2 Minutes - Daniel Miessler
• Almanack of Naval Ravikant - Naval

Person-Specific

• When was the last time you regretted reacting emotionally? How’d you fall into that trap?
• What was your real end goal there?
• Are there specific triggers or situations that tend to evoke strong emotional reactions in you?
• How often do you take a moment to reflect on your emotional state before making a decision or reacting to a situation?
• How can you start getting your reps in at emotional regulation?

General Leadership Philosophy

• Are there leaders you admire for their emotional control? What specific traits or behaviors stand out to you?
• How do you ensure that you're open to feedback about your emotional responses without feeling attacked or defensive?
• How can leaders ensure they're not suppressing their emotions but managing them effectively?