What a profound statement.
You need not operate off of a script. Instead, train your mind. When I was a young NCO, I used to ask myself, when confronted with bad news or an angry individual, “Will this matter in five seconds? Five minutes? Five days?”
The questions gave me space to think before I reacted. This had a couple of positive side effects:
- It let me give a measured reaction.
- It developed a reputation as unflappable.
You don’t need to know what to do in every circumstance. You just need to know you can adapt. Develop your mantra, think before you react.