The Great Hunt - Chapters 19 & 20 [#100Days, Day 48]

Fake It 'Til You Make It

  Rand, Loial and Hurin make it out of the alternate reality with the help of a mysterious woman named Selene.  Finding themselves somehow ahead of Fain and his band, Rand and Loial sneak into the Darkfriend camp and steal the Horn and dagger back.  Unsure of how to handle the dagger and it's insidious poison, Rand elects to stash it in the chest with the Horn.

    He set the dagger in the chest, inside the curl of the Horn - there was just room for it - and pulled the lid down. It locked with a sharp snap.  "That should shield us from it."  He hoped it would.  Lan said the time to sound most sure was when you were least certain.
Rand, The Great Hunt, p. 249

    Although specific to this moment, Rand follows Lan's advice for the plan forward.  The entire plan was to find the Horn, or once they were lost in the alternate reality, get back home.  There was no plan for what to do once they had the Horn and Dagger, especially since they are still cut off from Ingtar, Mat, Perrin and the rest.  On the surface, Rand appears to be operating on instinct and gut feelings.  However, the mission is foremost in his mind: get the dagger back to Mat, and get the Horn back to Shienar.  He funnels the confidence of expected end-state into every decision he makes, even if he's completely unsure.  

    Lan's advice, in particular Rand's execution of it, is solid.  Holding true to principles, even when a leader is uncertain of the decision to make, draws that confidence forward.  Times of uncertainty are typically when decisions need to be made quicker, perhaps it's a crisis, or perhaps an opportunity to capitalize on a rival's mistake, or maybe it's the first briefing with the team - a perceived lack of confidence spreads rapidly.  Exuding confidence somewhat paradoxically also builds confidence.   Acting how you want to be tricks your mind into believing it and continuing that path.  Coupled with sticking to sound principles, it develops an neat little framework to build your own leadership style.