Impulse Control is the ability to show restraint in the face of impulses and temptations to act.  Leaders with high impulse control think before acting, which puts people at ease and promotes a feeling that the leader’s behavior and mood are easily predictable. This results in open and honest communication. Leaders with strong impulse control remain patient and calm even when provoked, and they rarely regret things that they have said or done. As with every strength however, too much of a good thing can create a problem.  In the case of impulse control this happens when leaders ignore their intuition or gut feelings that prompt them to act.

To strengthen your own impulse control or to leverage it more effectively, consider this tip:  Reflect on the last 30 days. Think about a situation in which you regret not acting more quickly (High Impulse Control) or in which you regret acting too quickly (Low Impulse Control).  What emotion were you experiencing at the time? Was it fear, uncertainty, sadness, happiness, or maybe impatience? If you could rewrite the situation, what would you have done differently? Use the example of how you wished you had behaved as a goal.  Look for an opportunity to demonstrate this behavior in the next 30 days.