In Leadership, Temperature Matters More Than You Think
In business, pressure is constant.
People expect answers, outcomes, certainty.
And if you're not careful, you start reacting to everything —
every fire, every opinion, every storm.
That was me once.
But then I came across a principle in a book that stopped me cold.
"A leader must remain like the water in a well—always 60°F. Cool, calm, and steady."
That principle is from The Courage to Be Disliked. It didn't shout at me.
It quieted me.
And it's changed the way I lead ever since.
Here's what the book explained:
No matter what season it is, the water in a well stays the same temperature—around 60°F.
But when you pull it up on a hot day, it tastes cool and refreshing.
And when you draw it up on a cold day, it feels surprisingly warm.
The water doesn't actually change—you do.
Your environment, your mood, your expectations—they shift.
But the well stays steady. Constant.
That's why it's dependable.
That's why people return to it again and again.
At Inland Luxury Sauna, I'm leading a team that builds high-end wellness sanctuaries.
Every detail matters. Every mistake is expensive. Emotions run high—especially when timelines, budgets, and expectations clash.
At Armilla Technology, I serve on the board of a fast-moving sports tech company. We're scaling quickly, making decisions that affect pro athletes, coaches, and investors. And not every decision is easy—or popular.
In both roles, the temptation is always there:
Raise your voice. Get flustered. Match the chaos around you.
But I've learned that real leadership isn't about being the loudest.
It's about being the most anchored.
It's about holding at 60°F.
The well doesn't change when the weather does.
That's why people trust it.
A great leader is the same.
When emotions rise, they stay grounded.
When decisions get messy, they stay clear.
When I show up calm—even in conflict—it gives my team confidence.
When I listen instead of overreacting, I create space for better solutions to surface.
I've found that the quieter I become, the more I can hear.
And the more I can see what matters.
This isn't about suppressing emotion.
It's about learning to breathe when others are holding their breath.
I've had tough conversations where everything in me wanted to push back.
But I stayed cool.
And that space—just that little pause between trigger and response—made all the difference.
Teams feel it.
Clients feel it.
You feel it.
So now, I try to ask myself this regularly:
"What would a 60°F leader do here?"
Not cold.
Not heated.
Just steady.
That's who I want to be—for my team, for my partners, for myself.
And maybe you're in a season where that mindset could help you, too.
So here's my question for you:
Where in your life do you need to become more like the 60°F well?