Know Who You Are
Of course you need to be aware of the circumstances that surround you, you need to be knowledgeable about the world, you need to know history. But even more important, you need to know yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask what drives you. If you can understand these things up front, you are more likely to be able to keep your head in a crisis. Also observe how you react to mistakes, so that you can respond more constructively the next time things go wrong.