The intent of this rule is to maintain your composure and bearing. Your employees will bring you problems and it is your responsibility to get involved to assist with resolution. You can’t run down the hallway in your office, yelling we can’t miss the deadline. That type of behavior doesn’t instill confidence. You need to calmly work with your employees to solve the problem. There are clearly exceptions to this rule but the intent is about displaying a calm and composed demeanor at all times.
Never Run. Leaders Never Run.
Never let them see you sweat
I think the other wording for this Rule would be, “Never let them see you sweat”. Your employees expect you to help guide their efforts. Stay calm and help them be successful.
When I was a Captain, I deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. We were conducting an operation south of Fallujah near a little town named Amiriyah. I was the Task Force Commander for this operation. We set up our combat operations center in an abandoned manufacturing plant West of the town. If I remember correctly it was our third day to be in the area. This was a joint operation with Iraqi Army forces. I was standing in the road with one of the platoon commanders talking about how we might need to start packing up. We had essentially accomplished everything we needed to do for this operation. As we were talking, I heard a distinct whistling sound and wondered why one of our jets was doing a low pass because I knew we didn’t have any air on station for our operation. The thoughts were moving in nanoseconds in my brain because as we were standing there, an enemy rocket lands on the other side of the building we are standing next to. The Iraqi soldiers begin running and hiding under the vehicles. The platoon commander and myself hit the ground where we were standing. I look at him and say, “I think they know we are here, we should probably pack up and leave”. He quickly replies with, “Yes Sir”. I stand up and walk across the street to our combat operations center and direct all units to begin retrograde back to our forward operating base near Fallujah. I didn’t run during this situation and this rule allowed me to keep my composure and bearing during a pretty tense situation.
You might not find yourself in the same situation as me but your employees will observe your actions. You need to demonstrate that you can handle the pressure and stress of running a small business.