Another opportunity to demonstrate your leadership is in a crisis. Maintain your cool and spring into action. You may feel stress inside, but no one needs to know. Treat emergency preparedness seriously so that you know what to do in a disaster. Speak in your normal voice tone and tempo; if you start sounding panicky, it can undermine your ability to mobilize people and instill confidence. Take deep, slow, even breaths to compose yourself; it's easy to get caught up in a stressful situation and become breathless and agitated.
For some supervisors, conversing with a senior executive can induce stress. But if you're going to step into leadership roles, you'll need to gain comfort chatting with the CEO.
- Rather than act flustered, use your limited time around a top executive to make a positive impression. Answer questions succinctly. Convey enthusiasm through your voice and animated facial expression. Don't grimace as you greet the person or lean away as if to escape; some powerful executives won't take you seriously if you don't carry yourself with aplomb.
