Are you cool?

With much of the UK in the middle of a heatwave, "Are you cool" is a question for home as well as work.

It was a question one of my first supervisors used to like asking me.

Usually just after he'd interrupted me for the third time in ten minutes.

He'd give me one piece of work, then another, then ask whether I'd finished the first one... while sitting opposite me in the full knowledge that it was impossible.

Then, with impeccable timing:

"Are you cool, Graham?"

If he wasn't deliberately trying to wind me up, it was a very good impression.

Of course, it did. And I hadn't yet learned how not to show it.

It's much easier to become hot and bothered when we're tired, overloaded or being goaded. A heatwave doesn't help either.

So, as workplaces have got warmer this week (especially for anyone without the luxury of air conditioning), here's my own reminder of how to take back your cool at work:

☀️ Don't respond at full temperature. Take a breath. Go for a stroll. Talk to someone you trust. Give yourself enough time for your thinking brain to catch up with your emotional brain.

☀️ Keep perspective. Most frustrations are temporary. Not every irritation merits a response. If it does, a well-thought-out strategy is usually more effective than an immediate reaction — especially if you're dealing with someone powerful or with a short fuse.

☀️ Develop a game face. Emotional control isn't about pretending you don't care. It's about choosing how you respond. Whether you're working in law, HR, or an organisation where the reality doesn't match the spin, it's a skill worth developing.

Staying cool isn't about never feeling frustrated.

It's about staying in control.

Do you have any cool tips to share?