Malky Mackay hopes composure will lead by example ahead of crucial run-in for Ross County's battle to remain in the Scottish Premiership
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Malky Mackay has been in his fair share of high-pressure situations.
Throughout his days both as a player and a manager, he has been involved in title challenges, cup finals, play-off finals, promotion bids and relegation battles.
As he leads Ross County into the post-split fixtures tomorrow against Livingston, then, do not expect him to appear fazed by the situation the Staggies are in – sitting four points adrift at the bottom of the table.
He has seen first-hand how important it is for a manager to be composed, and insists it would do nobody any good in the relegation fight if frustration or stress could be seen on his face from day to day.
“When the manager comes in the narrative of the week is sometimes seen on his face when he walks in the door," he explained.
“I have been there, when the manager has walked in the door in a foul mood, and after that the mood for the rest of the week is people tiptoeing around. Honestly, it does not do any good.
"You’ve got to be relative to the situation you are in, and frame it to what the issues are, and where you’ve got to be better.
“You can do that over the week, but I’ve got to walk in the door and make sure everyone is able to get on with their job. I don’t want them thinking ‘can I even speak?’ or ‘can I have a smile at something at lunchtime?’ without fear of the manager going off his nut.
“That’s something I have learned over the years. There’s a narrative of how you are perceived, and the day-to-day aspect of it – walking in there and making sure I can quickly communicate and get on with the normality of the week, rather than walking in with a face like thunder.
“I have learned that’s what you need to keep the culture in a place, and keep confidence in a place."
That calmness is something Mackay will be trying to pass on to his players ahead of a run of must-win matches for the Staggies – but he insists that is not playing down the predicament facing the team.
"I have a complete understanding of the situation we're in, so I have to show that respect for our football club and our fans," he said.
"After that, I have experience of being in those situations before. People sometimes ask how you handle it when you go out in front of 50,000 fans, or however many it may be, and you just get used to it.
"The main thing is to stay calm. I think that's what leadership is about.
"You have to make sure people around you have a clear, consistent message, and they're getting clear communication and a bit of calmness from the leader.
"I think that's the best way of doing it. For example, going back into the dressing room after the Hearts game, there were various ways I could have gone about that.
"I could have gone in screaming and shouting, I could have gone in and been cutting and sarcastic before walking out – I don't think either one in that situation was the way forward.
"I went in and spoke to them in a considered manner, and then at the end of it is was our plan for the next two weeks to pick everybody back up.
"These things happen, but they don't happen very often, so we have to make sure we have the pride in the jersey to go and make up for that to our fans, to the club and to themselves in our next game."
