When things get rocky, practice deliberate calm - The McKinsey Podcast Recap

Podcast: The McKinsey Podcast

Published: 2022-11-10

Duration: 828

Guests: Jacqueline Brassey, Aaron De Smet

What Happened

Aaron De Smet recounts a personal crisis that led him to realize the importance of self-awareness and adaptability in leadership. He describes how his instinct to control and fix problems did not help his family during a difficult time, prompting him to learn new ways of responding to challenges and eventually become a single father.

Jacqueline Brassey emphasizes that deliberate calm is a set of skills designed to help leaders make optimal decisions amid uncertainty and volatility. She discusses how traditional crisis management approaches are outdated, advocating for a new mindset that embraces change rather than shying away from it.

Aaron De Smet cites Harvard professor Dutch Leonard's distinction between routine emergencies and crises of uncertainty, highlighting that familiar responses might not be effective in the latter. He argues for the importance of calming down, assessing the situation, and resisting the urge to react automatically to unknown challenges.

Jacqueline Brassey describes a structured process for observing and understanding emotional triggers in stressful situations. This involves connecting with one's body and mind to gain a holistic understanding of reactions, which can then inform more effective responses.

An example of deliberate calm in practice involves a business leader undergoing a high-pressure transformation. Despite feeling responsible and under time pressure, the leader's initial reaction was to push forward aggressively, causing team friction. Another leader exhibited deliberate calm by maintaining composure and facilitating a constructive dialogue.

Dual awareness, as explained by Aaron De Smet and Jacqueline Brassey, combines self-awareness with situational awareness. It involves understanding whether a situation requires familiar solutions or new approaches and recognizing one's habitual reactions to determine their appropriateness.

Jacqueline Brassey shares an example from the Netherlands, where a Minister of Health ignored personal recovery needs during the COVID-19 crisis, leading to a public collapse. This underscores the importance of balancing situational demands with personal well-being to maintain effectiveness.

Data from a McKinsey study shows that leaders trained in deliberate calm exhibit improved adaptive behaviors and well-being compared to a control group. Learning agility is identified as the top predictor of leader success, suggesting that a mindset open to continuous learning and adaptation is crucial for effective leadership.

Key Insights

• Aaron De Smet's personal experience revealed that controlling instincts might be counterproductive in crises, leading him to co-author a book on deliberate calm.
• Jacqueline Brassey argues that leaders need to update their crisis management techniques to handle modern uncertainties, advocating for a mindset that embraces change.
• Aaron De Smet explains the concept of dual awareness, which involves recognizing situations that require new approaches and understanding personal reactions to adapt effectively.
• A McKinsey study indicates leaders trained in deliberate calm show significant improvements in adaptive behaviors and well-being, highlighting the importance of learning agility.