Ever light someone up at the desk… only to watch them fall apart with the very next customer?
Here’s the biological truth: when you lose your temper, you don’t motivate your people — you turn them into lizards.
Not metaphorically. Neurologically.
Your anger floods their brain with cortisol, shuts down their prefrontal cortex, and snaps them into survival mode.
They stop thinking, stop problem-solving, and stop learning.
You didn’t fix the problem — you just created the next one.
AC was one of the sharpest managers I’d ever coached… and one of the most volatile.
He thought his intensity was passion.
His team experienced it as danger.
And his engagement surveys showed it — connection, trust, and coaching were tanking.
Because emotional volatility doesn’t inspire.
It disables.
When you blast your people, you’re not talking to adults anymore — you’re talking to their lizard brain.
AC’s turnaround — as a leader and as a husband and father — came from one tool:
Flip the Switch — a 3-step reset from fight-or-flight to calm authority.
1️⃣ Posture
Pull the string. Chest up, chin down. Smile.
Posture changes chemistry.
2️⃣ Breath
In through your nose, long exhale out.
This flips the nervous system from reactive → regulated.
3️⃣ Verbal Cue
“What’s important now?”
“I’ve got this.”
“Bring it on.”
Your cue shifts you from emotional to intentional.
AC used this dozens of times a day — and everyone noticed.
He didn’t get better because the store got calmer.
He got better because he stopped adding fuel to the fire.
Today, just pick one moment when you feel the heat rising — and run the Flip the Switch protocol.
One moment today.
Two tomorrow.
Five next week.
And suddenly, you stop creating lizards… and start creating leaders.
If emotional volatility is costing you influence, culture, or connection, the Velocity Mastermind is where elite leaders train these identity-level skills every month.
Go out today, flip the switch, create some leadership fire — and I’ll see you tomorrow in the Dealership War Room.
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Remember:
You don’t need a better market.
You don’t need better leads.
You don’t even need better people.
You need to become a better leader.
Let’s go create some leadership fire.
