Avoid jumping to conclusions...
Rash decision making and poor planning are byproducts of lack of patience and emotional control. The lack of emotional control is the cause and effect of lack of patience, where by definition you are too frustrated to see through to the next step or even the end product. Not a desirable trait in any strategist or leader...
Therefore, to increase our emotional control would result in the increase of patience, and vice versa. It's very easy to see how the 2 correlate and create a recipe for either success (when used in excess) or disaster (when lacked), some would validly argue that patience and emotional control are the same thing, mastery of one would equal mastery of the other. When you can look at something strategically and see the end result you will not be effected in the following ways by what I like to call the 5 Deadly Emotions (just to name a few):
-Fear will make you more hesitant to react.
-Overconfidence will cause you to lose sight of your goals.
-Depression will place a dark cloud over all your plans, making the outcome foggy at best.
-Anger will force you to react, causing any number of unplanned outcomes.
-Love will blind you to other peoples actions, especially the ones whom are said to be on your side.
These are just a few of the causes which result in many leaders failings, if someone were to habitually act on these emotions right from the get-go, they could potentially move up through the ranks, but most likely they will not last long and people will be very hesitant to call this person "a leader" he/she will only be considered "a boss," same perks but with much less respect. We'll save that for a another chapter and will stick to leadership qualities, there are two basic types of leaders:
These are just a few of the causes which result in many leaders failings, if someone were to habitually act on these emotions right from the get-go, they could potentially move up through the ranks, but most likely they will not last long and people will be very hesitant to call this person "a leader" he/she will only be considered "a boss," same perks but with much less respect. We'll save that for a another chapter and will stick to leadership qualities, there are two basic types of leaders:
Cool, Calm and Collected Leaders
While it is natural to feel any range of the 5 deadly emotions, it is potentially disastrous to let them get out of control. The person with the most control of a situation is generally noted to be nonchalant and more quiet than anything, and when the time is right, they are reactant like a strike of lightning, carrying with them a power thought not possible in the average human being. For examples of great leaders, do some research strategic geniuses such as Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte, whom were noted for their calm and collected attitudes until it became time to react with force and accuracy, hence their many nicknames such as "God of War" and anything ending with "The Great."
While it is natural to feel any range of the 5 deadly emotions, it is potentially disastrous to let them get out of control. The person with the most control of a situation is generally noted to be nonchalant and more quiet than anything, and when the time is right, they are reactant like a strike of lightning, carrying with them a power thought not possible in the average human being. For examples of great leaders, do some research strategic geniuses such as Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte, whom were noted for their calm and collected attitudes until it became time to react with force and accuracy, hence their many nicknames such as "God of War" and anything ending with "The Great."
Not so Calm and Collected Leaders
There are some leaders out there who make a show of being impatient and lacking of emotional control. There are multiple reasons which might cause them to react this way. The two tactics I will address are public image and natural ability.
There are some leaders out there who make a show of being impatient and lacking of emotional control. There are multiple reasons which might cause them to react this way. The two tactics I will address are public image and natural ability.
Public Image - Having the public image of someone who is rash and over-emotional yet somehow still successful gives a great image to the public, the leader seem more empathetic, human and connectable, and their enemies will see them as weaker, giving leaders the extra room to maneuver and recover. This tactic is often incorporated by politicians and celebrities with dwindling reputations.
Natural Ability - Some people have a gift for acting successfully under pressure - even when emotions are flaring, this could be either the result of years of experience in their profession or their brain is connected in a way that handles stress very well.
1. Accept that your lack of control over emotions are the cause of your lack of patience, which in turn is the cause of your lack of success. Only you can change your luck in life, no one else can, a winner never quits. It is necessary to just accept this step to move on to the next.
2. Acknowledge how something makes you feel before you outwardly express it. Ask yourself these important questions: How does this make you feel? Will your outburst of emotion help the situation? or will they only make things more complicated in the long run? If any of the answers are not what you wanted to hear, your actions and emotions should be repressed and directed in a more strategic manner.
3. Collect as many details on the pressing situation as possible. When your emotions have passed and your mind is back in full gear the details will be crucial in deciding your reaction. Sometimes a reaction isn't even necessary and after reassessing the facts you will be glad you didn't immediately react, which often makes a undesirable situation worse. Its best to get the "who, what, why, and when" in the time of need then waste time with the overindulgence of emotions. The strategists best friend is information.
4. Determine the best possible reaction. Sometimes it's necessary to act a certain way immediately, whether it emotional or just taking action, you do not want to be the guy that always acts cold and uncaring. But you also do not want to be the drama queen unless totally necessary, however, if you desire to use your emotions to manipulate people that is a different level of strategy which I'm sure will be covered down the road.
5. Act. Using the information available, you should of come to a unemotional conclusion of how best to deal with a situation. It is now time to act on your well informed impulses rather than your emotional ones.
With practice, this process can be mastered and the "think and react" process will be much faster.
You may not always succeed using this stratagem, there are many other considerations that need to be considered in acting out any situation successfully as every situation can be different. But, by gaining the experience from this stratagem and using it with others - you will eventually master the art of strategy.
Emotional control and patience are the two crucial steps in becoming a master strategist.
Intervention
Finally we come to the question of how we can control our emotions and therefore increase our patience. Its very simple to explain but it's very difficult to implement into your daily life, practice will be the key. It is human nature to desire to express yourself immediately and most of us act on that desire throughout our entire lives, it may or may not be that desire which keeps most of us from accomplishing our immediate or long term goals. Which brings us to our first step:1. Accept that your lack of control over emotions are the cause of your lack of patience, which in turn is the cause of your lack of success. Only you can change your luck in life, no one else can, a winner never quits. It is necessary to just accept this step to move on to the next.
2. Acknowledge how something makes you feel before you outwardly express it. Ask yourself these important questions: How does this make you feel? Will your outburst of emotion help the situation? or will they only make things more complicated in the long run? If any of the answers are not what you wanted to hear, your actions and emotions should be repressed and directed in a more strategic manner.
3. Collect as many details on the pressing situation as possible. When your emotions have passed and your mind is back in full gear the details will be crucial in deciding your reaction. Sometimes a reaction isn't even necessary and after reassessing the facts you will be glad you didn't immediately react, which often makes a undesirable situation worse. Its best to get the "who, what, why, and when" in the time of need then waste time with the overindulgence of emotions. The strategists best friend is information.
4. Determine the best possible reaction. Sometimes it's necessary to act a certain way immediately, whether it emotional or just taking action, you do not want to be the guy that always acts cold and uncaring. But you also do not want to be the drama queen unless totally necessary, however, if you desire to use your emotions to manipulate people that is a different level of strategy which I'm sure will be covered down the road.
5. Act. Using the information available, you should of come to a unemotional conclusion of how best to deal with a situation. It is now time to act on your well informed impulses rather than your emotional ones.
With practice, this process can be mastered and the "think and react" process will be much faster.
Disclaimer
You may not always succeed using this stratagem, there are many other considerations that need to be considered in acting out any situation successfully as every situation can be different. But, by gaining the experience from this stratagem and using it with others - you will eventually master the art of strategy.
Emotional control and patience are the two crucial steps in becoming a master strategist.
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