Keep calm and play on

The US Open women's final saw tennis legend Serena Williams experience a meltdown, and lose the coveted title. Experts discuss proven mantras to keep you away from a professional breakdown

The dust has only just settled after Serena Williams' surprising US Open upset, but the debate still rages on about the factors responsible for her loss. Much of the commentary on the finals was focused on her clash with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, with polarised opinions on her subsequent emotional outburst and the fallout thereafter that, some believe, led to her eventual defeat.

Emotional outbursts, however, aren't restricted to the sporting arena alone — corporate veterans will willingly acknowledge many such meltdowns that occur behind closed doors in boardrooms and, unfortunately, sometimes even on public forums. Today's business world is often described as being VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous), which, experts say, means that the pressure to stand out is much higher than ever before, as is the scrutiny surrounding every misstep.

Here are five proven mantras to help you overcome tricky scenarios at the workplace without losing your mind and, possibly, your reputation.

1. Know and refine your management style
Having worked in Citigroup's New York headquarters and as the marketing director of Aviva, Rishi Piparaiya has learned that an individual's ability to handle stress eventually boils down to leadership and management styles. "Many leaders who have risen up the ranks rapidly bring to the table a certain degree of entitlement. They believe that they are entitled to act a certain way and that their team has no choice but to bear the brunt of their outbursts. There are also those whose general temperament is to vent their frustrations on people they work with — such leaders can be a liability for their organisation, as their subordinates find it difficult to take them at face value. Instead of direction, these leaders inspire confusion and chaos as the team is more concerned with surviving them than actually yielding results."

Rishi Piparaiya

Think about the kind of legacy you want to leave behind and tune your leadership style accordingly. Piparaiya points to Housing.com's Rahul Yadav, who was once referred to as "the bad boy of Indian start-ups" owing to his penchant for controversy. Yadav was fired by the company board, which cited his behaviour towards investors and the media. "Even if you have the tendency to speak your mind when dealing with criticism, remember the impact you make will be about how you recoup from the situation. One of my former bosses was a stickler for perfection, which often led to him losing his cool with his subordinates. However, he made sure to close the loop before the end of the day by calling every team member he had rubbed the wrong way, and explaining his point of view in a calmer, more rational tone," he adds.

2. Don't let the situation fester
PR professional Aakanksha Gupta describes a situation where a disagreement with a client led to them questioning her integrity, which prompted her to vow that she would never work with them again. "In the heat of the moment, it can be tough to stay level-headed, especially when you are passionate about your work. I made sure to write to the client explaining my point of view and offering to make amends when they were ready.

Aakanksha Gupta

The client respected my initiative and we were soon back to working together," she shares. A veteran in the service industry, Gupta realises that such bridges can only be built if you are willing to take the first step. "Don't expect things to sort themselves out. Ensure you take the first step towards a reconciliation as soon as you can," she advises.

3. Adopt a long-term view
When faced with a tricky scenario, Narendra Goidani, founder of Life School, advises asking yourself the following questions: Can you win the argument? What do you stand to lose? What does the other person stand to lose? He illustrates his point with an example. "While on the road with a founder of a successful company, our conversation was interrupted by a rash driver. The driver's erratic swerving led to his car knocking into ours and breaking a rear view mirror.

Narendra Goidani

The founder was annoyed, but realised that the other driver was slightly intoxicated and was being egged on by his fellow passengers to get into a fight. To my surprise, he calmly waved the other driver on and continued chatting with me. When I asked him about how he had managed to keep cool, he said that getting into a fight would have ended badly for us — we were outnumbered and things could easily escalate. While the occupants of the other car did not seem to mind wasting their evening on a fight, the founder stood to lose his time discussing ways to grow his business with me. To him, the latter was a more meaningful undertaking." Goidani feels this can be a lesson for many corporate employees.

"If you choose to go against higher management, evaluate whether you can actually fight to win. If not, you will only end up damaging your reputation and work environment. Don't be fooled by illusions of martyrdom. Instead, check what's best to adapt in that situation," he says.

4. Apologise like you mean it
Most outbursts in the corporate world, Goidani says, stem from pressures that may not always be related to the situation at hand. However, when apologising for your temper, Goidani recommends not blaming external factors but taking ownership of your behaviour. "Don't use phrases such as 'If you are hurt, I apologise' which can come off as distasteful.

Understand that the person is hurt, and it is up to you to convince them that your apology is sincere and unconditional. Only then will they believe your apology and extend an olive branch," he says. Piparaiya also suggests talking in person rather than dashing out angry emails or texts. The latter, he says, can further lead to misunderstandings as it strips your message of tone and context.

5. Keep facts handy, and an open mind
To avoid feeling cornered when questioned about your work or business decisions, Piparaiya highly recommends being prepared with the necessary data that led you to go down the path you chose. "You must be able to clearly explain and articulate how you arrived at a certain conclusion. At the same time, understand that not everyone will be willing to see things your way. Learn to cut through the noise to understand the other person's grievances. Use this as feedback to evolve and grow," he says.

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