Earlier in my career I was asked to lead a project for the launch of an innovative research tool, developed by a team of professors. It was a very important project to them and the world of academic research. I was honoured to be asked to lead the launch event for the research tool in collaboration with team members from their organizations.
We began planning the event three months out, meeting weekly to discuss and action important items, including confirming the budget, creating the list of invitees, choosing and booking the venue location and catering, and outlining the logistical requirements for the event.
The initial meetings held were with the team of professors and then two marketing staff members (referred to as the marketing duo hereinafter) joined all meetings going forward, and a finance manager attended whenever we discussed the budget. The marketing duo started to express their strong opinions on all aspects of the event. At first their high level of engagement and ideas for the event were welcomed and I appreciated having others who were onboard with the vision of creating a momentous event.
Not far into the project planning, it became apparent that the marketing duo’s vision and ideas of the event weren’t aligned with the rest of the group. Their outlandish ideas about how the event should be, coupled with their forceful approach in delivering their ideas took up unnecessary time; however, it did not stop the progression and momentum in the event planning. Each meeting I simply reiterated the agreed upon plan and event strategy from the beginning and ensured that each team member was aware of their responsibilities and action items to be completed before each subsequent meeting. Very quickly all aspects of the event had been decided on and booked, all invites had gone out, and we were now planning the activities and flow of the actual event.
Three weeks out from the event, the marketing duo came to a meeting and informed everyone that they had booked a different venue, changed the catering company and food choices, and had developed a new guest list. They had also been having side meetings with the professors to try to get them onboard with their new plans. At this point it was clear that they not only wanted to do things their way, but they wanted to sabotage the event. In my response to the marketing duo, I remained calm and informed them that the event venue and catering would be as previously decided, reminding them that the booking deposits had been made and changes were not possible at this stage in the planning and the invites containing the event details had also gone out and the RSVPs were rolling in.
It seemed the marketing duo wanted to be in charge of the event, receive credit from the professors, and receive acknowledgement of their efforts from their employer – this obviously didn’t happen and were viewed as project challenges rather than positive contributors.
From that point forward the marketing duo attended the meetings and when they spoke up, they were aligned with the event plans. The event rapidly arrived, and it was a huge success! The venue and catering were great, and the guests were impressed with the innovative research tool presented and were happy with the event.
A week after the event I received a phone call from the finance manager, she wanted to meet me at a coffee shop for a chat off-site. I immediately thought I was in trouble…
I went to the coffee shop early, full of curiosity. The finance manager sat down and immediately asked, “how did you do it?” Confused about what she was talking about, I asked “Do what?” She clarified, “Lead the event planning team so calmly?” I finally understood her question, but it had never occurred to me before that I was calm and had successfully led the team! Throughout the event planning process there were moments where I felt frustrated, however I tried to not let that impact how I communicated with the team. It was eye-opening to find out that I was able to maintain a calm and collected demeanor in the eyes of others on the team. The finance manager confessed that she asked me for coffee so she could learn from my leadership style as she wanted to employ the same style with her team. In this situation with the event, it wasn’t a strategy I was intentionally employing, but rather my natural response in the moment – the combination of my personality traits and my HR training and experience – remaining calm when faced with difficult, unexpected situations.
After the coffee date I googled calm leadership to see what it formally means. By definition, calm leadership is not about suppressing emotions or avoiding difficult situations; it is about harnessing emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-awareness to lead with composure, clarity, and authenticity.
Knowing about calm leadership and its value in difficult situations, since the event planning experience, I think about how I can act more intentionally to manage difficult conversations and situations, especially those charged with emotion. From experience in dealing with difficult conversations throughout my career, I believe a level of compassion and empathy needs to accompany the attributes of calm leadership to maintain and develop relationships. Exercising calm leadership both personally and professionally has served as a helpful way to diffuse a situation and be able to deal with it clear-headed and humanely.
What is your take on calm leadership? Do you view it as a viable leadership style? In some instances, I’ve heard it referred to as lazy. Do you take a more aggressive approach when faced with difficult or frustrating situations?
About
Leanne Walper is a senior Management Consultant who excels in enhancing organizational culture. With an MBA in Human Resources and Leadership, she has led HR and Marketing teams across various industries, focusing on recruitment, employee experience, branding, and communications. Leanne’s diverse experience in HR and Marketing allows her to drive business growth and support clients effectively.
