1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Have you ever received an email and it's rubbed you 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: up the wrong way? Your emotions are running high, and 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: you type out a response He hits in, but immediately 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 1: you wish that you'd slept on it instead of acting 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: so impulsively. Within car Sales, CEO Cameron McIntyre is known 6 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: as being as cool as a cucumber. He believes that 7 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: staying composed is a critical trait of the leaders. So 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: how does he maintain his composure in the face of 9 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: stress and a share price that fluctuates daily? And how 10 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: does he avoid responding impulsively or emotionally to emails that 11 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: rub him up the wrong way. My name is doctor 12 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: Amantha Imba. I'm an organizational psychologist and the founder of 13 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: behavioral science consultancy Invent Him. And this is how I 14 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: work a show about how to help you do your 15 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: best work. On Today is my Favorite Tip episode, we 16 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: go back to an interview from the past and I 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: pick out my favorite tip from the interview. In today's extract, 18 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: I speak with cars L CEO Cam McIntyre about his 19 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: strategies for how he keeps his call. I'll reveal my 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: sources after the interview. But yeah, delect does that ring 21 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: true to you, or do you feel like you're sometimes 22 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: flustered on the inside but just remaining composed on the outside. 23 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 2: That's absolutely true, right, I mean you call it composure, right, 24 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 2: And I guess as a leader, I mean, there's just 25 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 2: no excuse you have to stay composed even when you 26 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 2: might be feeling. 27 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 3: A little bit irritated. 28 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 2: It's super important that you do stay composed because if 29 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 2: you don't, it's a poor reflect on leadership, and that 30 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 2: sort of thing is contagious in an organization. So composure 31 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 2: is mission critical. I guess for me, when I feel 32 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 2: a little bit irritated, what are my strategies in terms 33 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 2: of dealing with that? If you think about it from 34 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 2: that point of view, I guess what I try and 35 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 2: do is put things into con text. So, yeah, there's 36 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 2: an issue that I'm dealing with, I might put it 37 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 2: into context of my own personal health or you know, 38 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 2: I mean, at least I've got my health for or 39 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 2: at least I've got my family or at least I've 40 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 2: got my friends and happiness, and so try and contextualize 41 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 2: the issue that you're dealing with, and often that helps 42 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,959 Speaker 2: you talk yourself off the ledge. I guess the other 43 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 2: thing might be, if it's a real work related issue, 44 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 2: to come back to that earlier discussion around our share 45 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 2: price and what have you, maybe I'll put it into 46 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,679 Speaker 2: the context of this issue is nothing in the context 47 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 2: of the expectations of the market or the expectations of 48 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 2: my employees and how they're feeling engaged, so you get 49 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 2: over it would be another way I'd address it and 50 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 2: ensure I'm remaining composed. I guess if all that fails, 51 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 2: there'd be maybe one or two people inside the organization 52 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 2: where you can vent to making sure that you've got 53 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 2: your people around you that you trust, or it might 54 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 2: be an external person who you trust, who understands your business, 55 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 2: that understands you and what you're going through. Just having 56 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 2: that external perspective as well to one help you vent, 57 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 2: but also two to help you rationalize any decision making 58 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 2: that you've got. 59 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 3: So that all works in that context. 60 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 2: If I'm thinking about an email, so sometimes you get 61 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 2: emails that land in your inbox that you want to 62 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 2: fire off a response to, and my strategy around that 63 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 2: is I'll write a response, but I'll put it in 64 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 2: my drafts and I'll leave it there for twenty four hours, 65 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 2: and then I'll come back and have another look at 66 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 2: it the next day, and if I still feel the 67 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 2: same way about it, then I'll show it to someone 68 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 2: else and get a second person's opinion before I send it, 69 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 2: so that I'm not acting irrationally or not acting in 70 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 2: a manner that's not composed. So for me, composure is 71 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 2: super important. It's like the duck that swims along the water. 72 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 2: It may look like you're swimming calmly along the top 73 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 2: of the water, bit underneath you you're paddling pretty hard, 74 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 2: and it's making sure that's the impression that I'm leaving 75 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 2: on people. 76 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 3: Does that make sense? 77 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: It does, and that's an interesting example with the email. 78 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: Also probably means that it's a good way of avoiding 79 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: making news headlines as well. Do you use that approach? 80 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: I guess like the sleep on it test, as I 81 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: sometimes hear it referred to in relation to big decisions 82 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: that you make at work. 83 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, all the time. 84 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 2: Although yeah, I like how people say I'm going to 85 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 2: sleep on it, but if it's a big enough issue, 86 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 2: they're not getting any sleep anyway, so it's more like 87 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 2: I'll lie in bed and think about it issue. 88 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 3: So yes, no. 89 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 2: But that's the philosophy that I tend to try and 90 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 2: practice is I try not to get caught up in things, 91 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 2: because it's so easy to get caught up and just 92 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 2: misread things because you see things the way you see things, 93 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 2: and sometimes you need to step back and you need 94 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 2: to think about different contexts, you need to think about 95 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 2: different angles, and that sleep on it factor helps you 96 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 2: bring all those different positions into play in order for 97 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 2: you to then make a more rational and composed decision 98 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 2: or response. So I like that theory too. 99 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: Are there other ways that you're getting that perspective with 100 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: some of the bigger decisions that you have to make. 101 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 2: The other perspectives are having the right people around you 102 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 2: that you trust. 103 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 3: And you know, I'm in a very fortunate vision. 104 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 2: I've got lots and lots of great people around me, 105 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 2: and so having great counsel is super important. Inside the 106 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 2: organization is super important, But also having great counsel outside 107 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 2: the organization is super important too. 108 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 3: So you're having a network. 109 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 2: Of peers in similar organizations, in similar roles to you 110 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:48,719 Speaker 2: that you can bounce things off. And it's amazing that 111 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 2: the conversations that you'll have about. 112 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 3: A particular issue. 113 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 2: You think you're unique, you think you're the only one 114 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 2: that's had to deal with it, and you'll bounce it 115 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 2: off three friends and they've all had to deal with 116 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 2: it in the past twelve months. And having that network 117 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 2: is really important to me, particularly if I get myself 118 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 2: in a position where I do need that third party advice. 119 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 2: I'm lucky I've got I've got a great board too, 120 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 2: and a fantastic chairman. So I think the strategy for 121 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 2: me is old, internalized first, figure things out. If I 122 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 2: still need external counsel, then I'll either go internally or 123 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 2: I'll go externally, just depending on what the issue is 124 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 2: and if there's any conflicts and so on, that sort 125 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 2: of sit around it. 126 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,559 Speaker 1: Hello there, I hope you like that extract from cam. Now, 127 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: if you are not a subscriber or follower of How 128 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: I Work, you might want to hit subscribe or follow 129 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 1: so that you get alerted as to whenever new episodes drop. 130 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,600 Speaker 1: How I Work is produced by Inventing with production support 131 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,239 Speaker 1: from Dead Set Studios. And thank you to mattin Nimba 132 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: who does the audio mix for every episode and makes 133 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: everything sound awesome. See you next time.