Dr. Joseph Riggio, PH.D. - Blognostra

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The “Cool” Factor - Part Two

Howdy All,

Remaining cool begins with first being cool. This means knowing how to establish and keep a state of "cool." I began this thread with the concept of "cool" being a way of BEING.

In many contexts people will reference the idea of being cool - usually meaning they are in control ... in control of themselves, in control of the situation, even to some extent in control of how others perceive them and the situation. We refer to people keeping their cool, again usually referring to them keeping their wits about them, acting elegantly in a situation, remaining calm and in control. However, we seldom speak of people getting their cool. - from The "Cool" Factor - Part One

I'd add to this description that this state allows for operating in a focused and calm way regardless of the situation. The ultimate cool maybe expressed by fictional characters - I personally find those in the mystery drama/action/thriller category the most obvious exemplars. For instance the *new* James Bond gives us a great example of cool - take a look at the torture seen - calm, collected, in control and humor in the face of horror and destruction - ZERO COMPROMISE - ultimate cool. (I thought that Daniel Craig was the ultimate Bond so far BTW.)

So what can we learn from Bond ... James Bond ... in this scene? First that the basis for his cool was pre-established, not "made up" in the moment. He knows who he is (BEING) and what he's about (DOING) and he's made up his mind about both before he finds himself in a position to call upon his cool. Throughout the movie he must make decisions in the moment based on holding a position that he's well established for himself and drawing upon skills or abilities that are innate, trained and derivative. So the order of action would be BEING first then DOING

The skills that James Bond displays flow from who he is - his way of being in the world. In another scene where Bond plays cards for millions, he begins with a ten million buy in and he loses everything on a wrong assumption in a single hand during the first round of play - he's been duped. At first we see him stunned, then almost immediately he resets - ready to begin again, confident that he can and will win. Even then he hits a wall when Vesper, played by Eva Green, a British Treasury agent who oversees the distribution of money to fund Bond's play in the game refuses to bank him again for an additional five million buy in. Then he decides to take action regardless and kill Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), but Lieter (Jeffrey Wright) intercedes and agrees to have the CIA fund him in the next round. Bond resets again and discreetly sits down to play again ... VERY COOL.

For more information on the new James Bond movie "Casino Royale" go to:
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/casinoroyale/site/

So what does it take to get and keep your cool?

That would be a pretty good short list to begin with. So while this would not be an exhaustive step-by-step instruction set for being cool (or getting your cool) - it would be a way of thinking about what I mean by the idea of the Cool Factor. However, more significantly this list wouldn't necessarily explain why I think the Cool Factor remains so important conceptually and practically.

One of my most basic premises regarding significant performance improvement has been and remains the ability to set the starting position. This idea forms the essence or core of my professional work. The entire Mythogenic Self Process revolves around the idea of setting the starting position - the Ready State. Then from this position deciding what to be doing ... always in relation to the context - circumstance and situation - and the intention held, i.e.: What Do You Want? Based on this structure it not only becomes possible but it becomes imperative to take action.

Of course it would be one thing to talk about having "cool" and another thing completely to actually have it. Recently I myself found my cool being challenged and found that the years of preparation have served me well. Even in what I would consider the most unfortunate, unfair and pejorative situation I found myself served by access to my "cool." This did not produce my outcome, but it did allow me to operate without compromising myself in anyway - and I remain whole as a result.

In Casino Royale James Bond finds himself duped and betrayed, by people he respected, trusted and even loved. He must again and again choose a position of wholeness regardless of how the Universe has unfolded around him. The ability to do this ... to choose to remain "cool" regardless of the situation or circumstance makes all the difference. In fact if I had to choose one trait that most defines elite performance I'd have to say it would be one's "cool factor" - never forgeting who you are would be a good place to start.

Oh yeah, one more scene I loved in the recent Bond movie (I won't even begin to talk about the exciting chase scene at the beginning or the heartfelt restarting scene in terms of defining cool) - he checks into a hotel under an assumed name "undercover" and announces himself and Vesper by name as well. He presumes they already know him anyway and has no hesitation to come out in public as himself despite the cost of what other might know or find out about him as a result. I love that - knowing who you are being more important than who others might think you are - very, very cool, eh???

Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
Princeton, NJ

Check out my How to Build a $1,000,000 Coaching, Counseling, Consulting, Training and Advising Business DVD package. I'm especially please with this package ... five DVDs, the program manual and the self-examination instrument we actually used in the live program ... the feedback has already been superb. While you missed the live program you don't have to lose out on the incredible value presented there, this package captures all of it and more, like the fully interactive exercises we built into the program DVDs. Go and take a look now: How to Build a $1,000,000 Coaching, Counseling, Consulting, Training and Advising Business.

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