Located in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and just minutes away from Pigeon Forge and Dollywood, Gatlinburg, TN is known for its beautiful views, wedding chapels, countless craft stores, and great pancakes. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in America.
Gatlinburg is also known as a place you can see black bears in the wild.
Recently, the town has seen a surge in the number of bears leaving the forests to search for food on the downtown strip. This has resulted in multiple up-close and potentially dangerous personal encounters. While black bears look quite cute and cuddly, people must remember these are wild animals. It has become such an issue it made the local news.
Check out the two-minute video below:
Face-To-Face With A Mama Bear
Two weeks ago, my wife and I spent a few days in Gatlinburg just relaxing and getting refreshed after a busy year. To take advantage of a lovely, crisp 40-degree morning, we decided to take a stroll around our hotel’s parking lot and look at the beautiful fall leaves.
On the back of the property, we stopped for my wife to take pictures of the scenery. Suddenly, I noticed to my left a black bear coming over the ridge approximately 10 feet from us. Following the bear were three cubs. This was obviously a mama bear who would no doubt intensely protect her baby bears.
I calmly said to my wife in a soft voice, “Honey, I need you to stay calm and slowly follow me.” She turned and noticed the four bears just a few feet away.
Placing her behind me we began to back away slowly. I was prepared to act crazy, start waving my arms and screaming loudly, or fight to the death so my wife escape, whatever was required.
Once we got a safe distance away I took the picture below.
Leadership Lessons
Let’s return to what I said to my wife during a potentially dangerous encounter, “Honey, I need you to stay calm and slowly follow me.”
When crisis or challenging times come without warning, leaders must remain calm and then communicate this sense of calm to their teams. This helps others feel secure and remain calm as well.
For the leader, remaining calm allows you to think clearly and develop quality strategies. These strategies, once implemented, result in the solutions needed to help you and your team navigate through the crisis.
Calmness —–> Clear Thinking —–> Quality Strategies —–> Solutions
In a worst case scenario, the leader must be willing to pay whatever price is needed to protect their team.
People are a picture of the leader. Your team will always follow your lead. If you remain calm, they will remain calm.
There is a scene in the movie The American President where Michael J. Fox tells the president, played by Michael Douglas, and his staff that it is important for everyone to act calm. Douglas responds by saying, “I think it’s important that everyone be calm.”
Leaders, be calm.
Especially if you walking the streets of Gatlinburg.
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