In the dark days leading to the Second World War, the British government commissioned a series of three inspirational posters to strengthen public morale against the escalating threat of Nazi attack or occupation. The commission was designed to unite the national community under the common goal of victory. The final artwork in the series appealed to age-old Victorian ideals in its call for even-tempered resilience in the face of impending warfare. Keep calm and carry on, it counseled. Panic and defeat were not options.
What started in 1939 as a call-to-action to maintain composure against growing national instability has proliferated into one of Britain's most universal modern-day memes. Its underlying message is just as universal. Remaining calm during adversity is as relevant today as in those wartime years. And its wisdom applies as much to the present-day workplace as many other aspects of life. Panic, as with a host of negative emotions like anger, apprehension, and indecision, has very little place in business.
In his Forbes article, "How Successful People Stay Calm," Travis Bradberry highlights a direct link between career performance and the ability to manage emotions and remain calm under pressure. Research from TalentSmart reveals that 90 percent of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions and remaining calm during stressful situations.
Psychologists define the ability to identify and manage emotions as emotional intelligence. This not only involves the capacity to regulate personal emotions but encompasses the power to harness and apply emotions to cognitive tasks and problems solving. Top performers have been shown to have well-honed coping strategies, the ability to compartmentalize external factors, and ability to disassociate emotions from the immediacy of events, all of which they draw upon under stressful circumstances.
High levels of emotional intelligence are linked as well to the ability to assume risk. Professors Jeremy Yip, lecturer and research scholar at Wharton, and Stéphane Côté, professor at the University of Toronto, have conducted research that supports the strong association between emotional intelligence and risk-taking behavior.
The study shows that people with lower levels of “emotion-understanding ability” allow unrelated stressors to make them risk-averse. In contrast, individuals with a high level of emotional awareness are more likely to evaluate a precarious situation and confidently take action. “By identifying the source of their emotions, those with high emotional intelligence realize whether their emotions are irrelevant to the decisions they need to make,” Professor Yip notes. “As a result, they don’t experience that spillover effect. They might feel anxious, but they don’t let it affect their decision.”
The professors note that individuals can apply the research findings to their daily risk analysis or any stressful situation by asking three questions:
- How do I feel right now?
- What is causing me to feel this way?
- Are my feelings relevant to the decision I need to make?”
As for the iconic poster from a bygone era, today an original copy hangs in a charming British bookstore and serves as a reminder of the deeply insightful message of five simple words.