Episode 1 of our "Ask CLG" column. Practical, actionable advice directly from our coaches and co-founder Diana Chapman.

Anonymous: When I have team meetings, I want to be as much "above the line" as possible. So before the meeting starts, I take a deep breath, try to calm down and make myself ready (which usually works well). But as soon as I'm triggered during the meeting (for instance by someone asking a tricky question), I go straight below the line and instead of giving a calm, friendly answer, I give a stressed, anxious answer which usually causes more irritation than good. I do not know how to be "above the line" more sustainably.

And: I'm not sure whether giving a calm, friendly answer is always the best way to do it. Sometimes it may be appropriate to be a bit more harsh or decisive, is it not? We (our team) sometimes tend to "swim in a warm soup of harmony" while we're not doing our work well. I'd rather want to get out of that soup and try to find ways how to improve our work... I'm not sure whether I have been able to make a clear point. I would highly appreciate any kind of response.