Edge 2: Hang Tight - Keep in mind 7 principles

P7. Smile when you are under stress
During stressful meetings, keep on smiling to reduce your stress and stay focused on getting the work done. 
answer quetions and cordially withdraw from the current distress:

• What is the big picture?
• Are we trying to solve the same common issue just from different angles?
• Can I separate the problem from the person?
• What is the root cause of the hostility?

Smile reduces stress, creates positive emotions and shows more confidence. Keeping a smile inevitably enables you to not lose your temper, think more logically and tend to be ahead of other person. The effort to keep things in control, for you and for your counterpart, is what counts. It's much better than having a stern, negative, or even dismissive facial expression.

P8. Go beyond your self-perceived limit
Growth is not glamorous but painful, you need patience and action: reach out to think outside the box, and focus on the now.
"A strong will is an unspoken art."
First, when you are stretched you need to acknowledge this.
Second, you need to be aware that developing a new capacity to handle things requires patience and action.
Third, reach out. Share your pain points with others. If you hold it in, you will dive into a negative spiral.
Fourth, you have to stop thinking about past failures and future uncertainties. In tough situation, go into the "ticking the checkbox" mode.

Show your vulnerability, but have faith. You will succeed. Growth is not glamorous.

P9. always imagine the worst-case scenario

Imaging the worst-case scenario will enable you to make decisions more quickly and think about the next-step actions. 

To help you keep going, learn to overcome the fear of failure by imaging the worst. Two major aspects of the job:

1. Visualizing and ghosting out the ideal end output of the project, which later transforms into foreseeing higher strategic missions for clients - see a better, even a crisper ideal state
2. Having a ready-made countermeasure in place or prearranged team problem-solving meetings with something flares up - what we can do right away when the bad-case scenario hits home

Benefits of defining worst case scenario
First, you control your emotions better, hence allowing a healthy state of mind.
Second, it allows you to cover more ground.

Expectation is the best done at the beginning of the project and right before the final or important milestone. The beginning is crucial to set expecation and be mentally ready for any bad outcome. The timing before final or important milestone is to focus on risk mitigation as much as possible.  

P10. Start following up

Following up is an important skill to boost your credibility and stay on top of your game; codify to-do items to make it possible.

It's because you don't want to miss any important opportunities and want to avoid major losses. You want to show presence, awareness, and a solid reputation. It's a way to reach higher matury and build stronger credibility fast. 

But only a handful people grasp it well, why?

1. Following up is perceived as a minor theme.
2. rereading notes, unless you have made it a habit, is cumbersome
3. Overreliance and confidence in memory - "it's better to take notes and free your mind for problem solving"

Use codification for follow-ups: "the note-taking skill is the prerequisite to become good at following up". use simple codes, such as highlight in different colours or use symbols and set minor rules, such as sending back key learning and summaries into neatly three or four core themes. It helps remember particular details effiectively.

Make follow up a habit.

P11. Push back with less emotion

Use the 24-hour rule and an evaluation mechanism to push back logically; don't listen to anyone cruising at 33,000 feet!

24-hour rule: Every time at work someone gives you something outrageous to do, wait for 24 hours before you act upon it with a counteroffer.
Two basic underpinnings:

1. People (usually senior leaders) have the best interests of you and the company at heart
2. You will tend to regret any negative or rebuking answers you make when yu're under emotional siege. 

When having an assignment, try to take a step back and ask yourself a simple queston: "What is the objective, or why are we doing this?"

Second, assess the value of your efforts by quickly doing a back-of-the-envelope calculation to see if the impact is big enough. This will help you drill down into the why question with more precision. It should be a number-driven effort if possible. Both figuring out the objective and estimating an impact number should give both parties a clear idea of the task's relative significance. 

Only when both objective and impact are relevant, then you move on to the required people, capability, and timeline validation - the how effort. 

You start with the objective, then measure the impact, and follow it up with a question of personnel fit and the required level of urgency. This process will assert more control over the project and a sense of reliability for you as a leader

Cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet

"Great project leaders receive 10 inputs and make that into 5 on the spot. Mediocre ones take all 10. The worst ones make it into 20. It is always better to deliver on three and produce a 120 percent output rather than deliver on 10 and produce a 60 percent output.”

People who are great at pushing back get a lot of work done, formulate their own approach such as the 24-hour rule or an evaluation process, focus on the positive side of things, and respond less emotionally.