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Self-Management

Adapting

Receiving, retaining and processing information

Transmitting information or ideas

Finding solutions to challenges

Using imagination and generating new ideas

Overcoming challenges and setbacks to achieve goals

Setting goals and designing routes to achieve them

Supporting, encouraging and motivating others to achieve a shared goal

Working cooperatively with others to achieve a shared goal

Identifying influence

Comparing views

Analysing views

Investigating bias

Strategic questioning

Evaluating perspectives

Communicating sensitively

Speaking engagingly

Adaptive communicating

Negotiating

Constructive communicating

Presenting

Inspiring others

Following instructions

Evaluating approaches

Continual learning

Imagining

Sharing imagination

Expressing imagination

Generating ideas

Suggesting improvements

Combining concepts

Identifying opportunities

Defining success

Flexible thinking

Reflecting critically

Facilitating creativity

Championing creativity

Improving performance

Practising resilience

Supporting resilience

Identifying successes

Working carefully

Recognising strengths

Understanding reactions

Sharing reactions

Recognising reactions

Facilitating discussions

Managing disagreements

Coaching

Motivating others

Emotional intelligence

Taking responsibility

Reflecting collectively

Learning collectively

Developing others

Improving culture

Step

Managing reactions

I respond calmly when faced with challenges

Core ideas

What it means to manage reactions

When an unexpected challenge happens, it is natural to feel stressed or frustrated. This is because challenges and setbacks can:

Trigger strong emotions: You might feel disappointment, anger, or anxiety, which can stop you thinking clearly.
Create uncertainty: Not knowing what will happen next can make it difficult to feel in control.
Make things feel overwhelming: If a problem is unexpected, you may not have a ready solution, making it seem larger than it really is.
Activate a ‘fight or flight’ response: Your body might react as if the challenge is a threat, making you feel tense or panicked.
Lower confidence: If something does not go as planned, you might start to doubt your abilities.

Managing reactions is about avoiding being overwhelmed by your emotional response so that you can still think through the problem and respond helpfully.

Why staying calm is helpful when faced with challenges

Staying calm allows you to think clearly and respond in a constructive way. It means not letting fear, anger, or frustration take over, so you can think clearly and respond in a balanced way. It helps because:

You can make better decisions: If you panic, you may rush into a choice that does not help solve the problem.
You stay in control: Keeping a level head stops emotions from taking over and allows you to focus on solutions.
You can communicate more effectively: Staying calm helps when working with others to solve the issue.
You can manage stress better: If you let stress build up, it can affect your wellbeing and make the situation feel worse than it really is.

It helps with learning and growth: Every challenge is an opportunity to build resilience and problem-solving skills.

How to stay calm when faced with challenges

There are several techniques you can use to stay calm when something unexpected happens:

Pause and take deep breaths: Slow, deep breathing helps reduce stress and clear your mind. You might choose to count to ten or focus on deep, long breaths.
Step back and assess the situation: Ask yourself, What exactly is the problem? and What are my options? This might include giving yourself space away from other people.
Challenge negative thoughts: Instead of thinking, I can’t handle this, try telling yourself, I can work through this one step at a time.
Use positive self-talk: Remind yourself that setbacks are normal and can often lead to learning and growth.
Seek perspective: Ask yourself, Will this matter in a week or a year? This can help reduce immediate stress.
Talk to someone you trust: Discussing the challenge with a friend, colleague, or mentor can help you see solutions more clearly.
Focus on what you can control: Even if you cannot change the situation, you can choose how to respond.

By practising these strategies, you can stay calmer when facing challenges and setbacks, allowing you to handle them in the best way possible.

Assessment

Reflective questions for individuals can include:

What does it mean to manage your reactions to challenges?
Why is it important to try to remain calm?
How can you help yourself to stay calm when facing challenges?
When have you shown you can manage your emotional reactions to challenges?

Observation cues for trainers can include:

Is the individual able to maintain their calm when facing challenges?
Is the individual conscious of the strategies they are using to remain calm?

Evidence can include individuals’ self-reflections and observations from others.

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Skills Builder Benchmark allows individuals to discover their own essential skills.

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Listening Step 1: Focusing

Listening Step 2: Recalling

Listening Step 3: Checking

Listening Step 4: Retelling

Listening Step 5: Recognising purpose

Listening Step 6: Note-taking