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    Composure under attack

    Composure under attack is how you respond when someone criticises you or your work, often with others watching. Your first reply often decides whether the conversation gets back to the issue or turns into a fight.

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    Why it's hard

    Criticism sets off a fast reaction. Most people answer within a second or two, and that first answer is usually a defence. Once you've defended, the other person pushes harder and the issue gets lost.

    Going the other way is a trap too. You can end up agreeing to things you don't believe, just to make it stop. Then the point you needed to make never gets said.

    It's harder when people are watching. Your team learns how criticism gets handled from how you handle it, whether you mean to teach them or not.

    What we look for

    Three sample behaviours from the four groups this moment is assessed on.

    Marker groups
    • The first turn
    • Holding register
    • Substance
    • Recovery
    Sample behaviours
    1. Present:Your first turn was not a defence
    2. Present:You did not respond within two seconds
    3. Present:You acknowledged the challenge before answering

    A sample. The assessment also looks for behaviours we don't list.

    Try it before anyone is watching

    One four-minute conversation from Composure under attack. See your initial feedback straight away, then save your results with a free account.

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    No account to start. No card. Your employer can't see how you did.

    How your practice stays private

    Questions about this moment.

    Individual contributor: High; First-line manager: High; Mid-level leader: Core; Executive: Core. Low relevance means the moment is not offered at that level.

    Its prevalence in the 11,359-case archive is awaiting confirmation from the final Research Report 01.

    The assessment uses 15 observational markers across 4 groups. This page shows only a small sample, because held-out assessment depends on some behaviours remaining unseen.