Leadership in times of crisis: 4 techniques to stay calm and decide with clarity
Bad news.
A key project derails. A major client threatens to leave. The numbers dive. Tension rises in the meeting room. All eyes are on you.
This is the moment of truth. The moment when leadership is no longer a concept, but a reality.
Our reptilian brain takes over. Adrenaline floods our system. Our field of vision narrows. Listening disappears.
The only impulse: react. Fast. Strong.
We look for someone to blame.
We raise our voices.
We make rushed decisions.
In an instant, you’re no longer the leader managing the crisis. You become part of the crisis. Your panic feeds the team’s panic. Your reactivity creates more chaos. Trust erodes. What got you here – your expertise, your desire – is no longer enough to get you through.
But there is another way.
The way of leaders who don’t just endure a crisis, but transcend it. Their secret isn’t immunity to stress. It’s a skill. They don’t control the event. They control the energy that flows from it. First in themselves, then in their team.
And this skill can be developed. Here are 4 pillars, inspired by the best, to start building it today.
Leadership in times of crisis: 4 techniques to stay calm and decide with clarity
1. The strategic pause: regaining control by stopping the action
The concept: In the face of chaos, the most powerful act isn’t action, but pause. It’s not a sign of weakness, but of taking control to shift from reaction to response.
The tool: the “cognitive decompression chamber” This is a method to activate as soon as you feel tension rising, for you and your team.
- Announce the pause: Say calmly: “Let’s take two minutes to analyze the situation.”
- Perform the mental exercise: During this time, ask yourself a single question: “What’s the most important goal right now?”
- Re-engage with intention: Re-engage with a clear first step. And refocus your team on that goal.
The example: Jeff Bezos is known for his ability to remain silent for long minutes in high-stakes meetings. He is not passive. He processes information, lets the emotion subside, and waits for a clear thought before speaking, thus forcing everyone to slow down with him.
You can apply this same principle to different situations. Imagine you’re presenting an important project. And an influential board member attacks one of your key hypotheses head-on, creating an icy silence. First impulse: defend yourself immediately.
This is the moment to activate the pause. By taking a few seconds to let the emotional charge fade, you don’t respond to the useless attack. You respond to the underlying question with calm, thereby preserving your credibility.
Coaching corner: Think back to a tense situation where you overreacted.
How could you have used SAS?
Use your response to create a mental movie of your ideal reaction. Replay this film several times in your head at different times.
The next time this happens, you’ll be more likely to react the way you want.
A book to take visualization a step further. Visualize: Think, Feel, Perform Like the Top 1% Book by Maya Raichoora
2. Leadership in times of crisis: lower your voice to increase your impact
The concept: Our instinct is to raise our voice to assert our authority. This is a mistake. Lowering your voice is counter-intuitive, but highly effective in regaining control.
The tool: the voice anchor Use this tool to defuse verbal escalation.
- Identify the peak: As soon as voices rise, become aware of it.
- Drop anchor: Intentionally lower your own volume and slow your pace.
- Reduce the distance: If possible, lean forward slightly to create a connection.
The example FBI hostage negotiators are trained to never shout. When facing a person in crisis, they speak calmly, slowly, and in a measured voice. This projects control and has a soothing physiological effect on the other person, who must calm down to listen.
You don’t need to be facing a hostage-taker for this technique to work😊.
Apply it when two of your managers clash violently over resource allocation. Instead of covering their voices, lower yours. They’ll have to be silent to hear you. You’ve just changed the dynamics of the room without a word of command.
The coaching question:
What do you communicate about your internal state when you raise your voice?
3. Physiological control: calm the body to clear the mind
The concept: Clear judgment is impossible under the influence of stress. Before you can think clearly, you must first signal to your body that you are not in danger.
The tool: box breathing This is a silent, discreet technique for short-circuiting the “fight-flight” response.
- Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath (full lungs) for 4 seconds.
- Exhale through the mouth for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath (empty lungs) for 4 seconds.
Example Navy SEALs use Box Breathing to stay calm and focused under enemy fire. Losing control of their physiology means losing their lives. Control of the body precedes control of action.
What we do in business is not really dangerous. But we can still be very stressed. Before an important presentation, I regularly used this breathing technique and it helped me immediately regain my calm.
Coaching Corner: What are the physical signals your body sends you just before you lose your temper?
Now that you know what they are. Create a mental trigger. When you feel them appear, use box breathing.
Reuse the visualization technique described in point 1 to mentally train yourself to trigger the process. (You can play out the scenario as you commute to work. 😊)
4. Contagious calm: becoming the emotional thermostat
The concept: As a leader, your emotional state is never personal, it’s public. Don’t be a thermometer that reflects the temperature in the room. Be the thermostat that regulates it.
The tool: the “thermostat check-in” This is a visualization exercise to do before entering a tense situation.
- Set the intention: Before entering, ask yourself: “What energy do I want my team to feel?” (Calm? Focused? Determined?).
- Embody it: Enter the room by physically embodying this state (posture, eye contact).
- Reset: If you feel the panic coming on, return to your thermostat role.
The example A captain in severe turbulence doesn’t say “I’m worried”. He takes the microphone and, in a calm, confident voice, explains the situation and gives instructions. His calm is a management tool that reassures hundreds of passengers. He is the plane’s emotional thermostat.
Similarly, when you have to announce a budget freeze, your team is in turmoil. Your calm and clarity don’t deny the difficulty, but they communicate that the situation is under control. You turn fear into focus.
The coaching question: What would be your way of becoming the thermostat for your team?
Mastering these moments is what separates good managers from exceptional leaders. It’s a fundamental skill for accelerating your career.
If you feel that mastering these situations is your next growth opportunity, let’s talk.
My coaching is designed to help you turn those moments of pressure into a demonstration of leadership.
Contact me for an exploratory discussion.
Dror
See you soon,
Dror
In the same series :
- Part I: How to apply “Start with the End in Mind” to accelerate your career: A 12-week guide
- Part Two: Active listening: the key skill for accelerating your career advancement (and how to develop it)
- Part Three: How to develop your employees’ potential: the ultimate guide for leaders
- Part Four: How to accelerate your career by mastering uncertainty
- Part Five: 4 essential self-reflection tools for developing your leadership skills
- Part Six: Assuming your mistakes: 4 concepts for turning setbacks into career levers
- Part Seven: Mastering execution: 4 essential pillars for unapologetic results
- Part 8: Small promises, big trust: Leaders’ secret to building reliability
- Part 9: Direct leadership communication: a guide to building trust and clarity
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PS: Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 more ways I can help you accelerate your career through coaching:
For future executives:
Accelerate your ascent to an executive position: I help you create your global vision and develop a plan to accelerate your journey. Contact me and let’s find out if we can work together.
For current executives :
Increase your impact as a leader: You know that even small improvements at your level can generate significant organizational results and career acceleration. I’ll work with you on your project and guarantee the results. Contact me and let’s see if we can work together.
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