Five Ways to Lead Authentically When the Heat Is On
Leading on the Edge: How to Stay Human When Work Gets Hard
Let me paint you a picture.
It’s a Wednesday morning. You’re leading a team meeting. One person’s camera is off (again), someone else is clearly multitasking, and the new hire just asked a question that has your seasoned manager rolling their eyes so hard you can hear it.
Welcome to leadership under pressure.
Now toss in a last-minute client request, a strategic plan that’s collecting dust, and your inbox that somehow multiplied like a family of rabbits overnight. The coffee’s cold. The vibe is off. And your internal monologue sounds something like, “Is it Friday yet?”
This is what I call leading in the mess. And here’s the truth: The mess is where authentic leadership is born.
When Stress Hits the Fan
I once had to facilitate a high-stakes roundtable between executives and frontline staff who hadn't been in the same room in two years. Tension so thick you could butter toast with it. I walked in with my best “I’ve got this” smile, and within 10 minutes someone stood up, said, “This is bulls***,” and walked out.
Now, in that moment, I had two options:
Panic and pretend nothing happened.
Pause, breathe, and lead with honesty.
I chose the latter (after a silent internal scream), looked around the room, and said, “Well, that was honest. Let’s start there.”
People laughed. The energy shifted. And we got to the real conversation: people were burnt out, unseen, and tired of spin.
Here’s what I’ve learned again and again in my work—whether I’m coaching senior executives, facilitating economic development strategy sessions, or training corporate teams on respectful workplace practices:
Tension isn’t the problem. Avoiding it is.
The Real Job of a Leader Under Pressure
When the pressure’s on, your people aren’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for permission.
Permission to speak up.
Permission to be human.
Permission to name the tension and still be part of the solution.
Authentic leadership doesn’t mean having all the answers—it means having the guts to ask better questions. It means saying, “I don’t know—but I’m here to figure it out with you.”
What I Did When Everything Went Sideways
Years ago, I was consulting on a major project—big budget, big personalities, big expectations. Think group chat energy meets boardroom stakes.
Two weeks before the final presentation, everything imploded. Miscommunication, missed deadlines, and someone forgot to loop in the most important stakeholder (who also happened to have the sharpest elbows in the room). I could feel the “blame game” brewing.
Here’s what I didn’t do: start pointing fingers or booking emergency meetings.
Here’s what I did instead:
Called the team together.
Took responsibility for my part—without over-owning everything.
Asked: “What’s the one thing we need to do now to move forward?”
You know what happened? People exhaled. And then, they got to work.
We met the deadline. The elbows stayed (mostly) unthrown. And the stakeholder? She actually thanked us for being transparent.
Turns out, vulnerability under pressure isn’t a liability—it’s a leadership skill.
Pressure Makes Diamonds (And Burnouts, If You’re Not Careful)
Let’s be real—stress is part of leadership. But stress without strategy? That’s a recipe for burnout and bad decisions.
So what’s the difference between pressure that shapes you and pressure that breaks you?
Self-awareness. Boundaries. And a little bit of humor.
The best leaders I know aren’t afraid to say:
“This is hard, and I’m feeling it too.”
“Let’s not confuse urgency with importance.”
“I’m going to need 90 seconds and a snack before we continue.”
(Seriously, sometimes the best leadership move is trail mix and a reset.)
Five Ways to Lead Authentically When the Heat Is On
If you're navigating tension right now, here’s how to stay grounded:
Name the pressure out loud
When leaders pretend everything’s fine, teams mirror that silence. Say, “There’s a lot on our plates, let’s talk about how we’re handling it.”
Stay values-aligned
Pressure can tempt you into shortcuts or silence. Your values are your anchor. Use them.
Own your mistakes and come up with a solution (if appropriate)
Not with a dramatic monologue—just a simple, “I missed that, and here’s how I’m fixing it.”
Create a culture of pause
Encourage breaks, buffer time, and no-meeting days. Humans > hustle.
Use humor, not sarcasm
A light moment can relieve tension. But never at someone else’s expense. Laugh with, not at.
You Can Lead in the Storm—Without Losing Yourself
Authentic leadership during stress isn’t about showing up as a hero. It’s about showing up human.
It’s about building teams that don’t crumble when conflict arises—but lean into it. It’s about having the courage to lead through turbulence with honesty, clarity, and compassion.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years—from boardrooms to community halls—it’s this:
The moments that test you are the ones that define you.
So when pressure builds, don’t shrink back. Lean in. Ask better questions. Admit when you don’t know. Take a walk. Share a laugh. And keep leading from the core of who you are.
Because under pressure, you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be real.
This blog is based on the keynote: "Pressure Makes Diamonds: Leading Authentically Through Turbulence". If your organization is navigating change, conflict, or just feeling the crunch—this keynote delivers a blend of storytelling, strategy, and soul to help leaders stay human, grounded, and effective, even in the storm.