That Calm Guy

Way back in the days of wood-burning computers, when I actually had a little bit of hair on my head (it was more of a tuft), I had a client named Bill.

Bill ran an agency and it was a nice, little agency. He was an honest man and was a pleasure to work for. There was one thing that stood out about Bill: He was calm. Always calm. Nothing ruffled his feathers. Many of his competitors were nut-cases, arrogant, hot-headed and wrecks to work with. Not Bill.

As I got to know him over the years, it was apparent that while he was calm on the outside, he certainly had dealt with some real tough, emotional issues in business and in his personal life. But, Bill was always calm and cool when discussing those situations.

I don't know whether he was truly calm inside and out, but one thing I do know: his calmness allowed others (including me) to do good work, to have a confidence in him and his company, and to really like working for him.

Maybe the answer for emotional people like me is to act as cool as possible, not because that's how we feel, but because that will ellicit the best results. I could get real excited about that!

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
www.labovsaleschannel.com