We don?t have the luxury as leaders to be overtaken by our emotions, to surrender to our feelings, or to let our moods dictate our thoughts and color our actions.
People depend on us to be steady, to be of sound mind, to be calm and collected, to be reliable.
Erratic leaders are poor leaders. They are hurtful human beings. Some leaders are blown to and fro by their moods like a kite on the wind. They seem to have no control whatsoever. They allow their moods to percolate to the surface. And with irreverent ignorance, some may even announce to everyone, ?I am in a bad mood today!? If this is you, friend, I have a news flash: this is not becoming of a good leader.
Like a child who throws a tantrum, letting our moods control our life is a sign of immaturity. 
?And like a good parent will discipline that child, a person responsible for such a leader should swiftly remove them from their leadership position.
A small 5 pound piece of metal in a horse?s mouth will control the 700 pound animal. So it is with our moods. If you cannot bridle your emotions, you will be bridled by them. Your moods will become a tough master that will throw you violently and mercilessly around.
I recently bought a blue dress shirt. Since I don?t have the best taste in choosing clothes, I was pleasantly surprised when a few people told me how nice it looked. One day, unbeknownst to me, I had a stain on my beautiful shirt. A big stain from lunch. I was embarrassed to keep going through the day with my stained shirt. So, like any doctor will do, I wore my white coat to cover it up. But it was still partially visible. It was embarrassing and unsightly.
The same image is true of a leader who is emotional and moody. It doesn’t matter how well they inspire and empower their people. It doesn’t matter how successful their organization may be. It really doesn’t matter how great a leader we may be. If we allow ourselves to be controlled by our emotions, our leadership becomes stained. ?And even on our best days, there is nothing we can do to completely cover that up.
We need to aim to be steady, calm, and in control of ourselves as leaders at all times. We owe it to our people. We owe it to ourselves.
Your Friend,
For Further Reading:
When Things Go Wrong: It’s Time to Evaluate Maturity
Emotions: Master Them, Or They Will Master You
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