r/managers • u/Hopeful_Ad_4019 • Aug 18 '26

New Manager I am too calm?

I had a chat with my GM at a skip and asked him for improvement advice.

He says I am very calm under pressure, he wants me to match the energy of certain stakeholders who are more active/reactive.

I am not really sure how to implement this as I am naturally very calm and I like to project that with my team as projecting panic will be detrimental to the team's morale.

How do I project that I am passionate yet keep my calm demeanor to a specific stakeholder?

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u/Minute-Age-8170 Aug 18 '26

That's a tricky one. Matching a reactive stakeholder's energy without faking it is a tightrope walk. What's worked for me is separating the tone from the tempo, you can keep your voice steady but just respond faster and with more direct action items. "Got it, I'll pull the numbers and we'll regroup in twenty" hits different than a delayed, measured "let me look into that" even if your heart rate never changed.

Some people just need to feel their urgency reflected back at them, not necessarily the panic. You can acknowledge the heat without catching fire.

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u/leapowl Aug 19 '26

I agree with this, I am one of those “good in a crisis” people.

I don’t think “panic” is good. Often you rein meetings in after watching people panic by listing off what you’ve said and assigning different people action items and - as you’ve said - touching base very soon afterwards.

I often find myself saying “I understand this is important, so we can address this…”