Leading under pressure
When Pressure Isn’t Just Part of the Job
In his article “Leading under pressure,” Theodore Kinni (strategy+business, September 2021) takes a close look at how high-stakes situations test leaders. Pressure can come in many forms: looming deadlines, volatile competition, or decisions with wide-reaching consequences. While some pressure brings out excellence, taken too far, it can undermine clarity, cause anxiety, or lead to mistakes.
What Happens When the Stakes Get Real
Kinni describes how “importance”—one of the core components of pressure—can swell until it becomes paralyzing, especially when it ties to one’s identity or reputation. He references the example of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, whose struggle under the mental burden of performance expectations during the Tokyo Olympics illustrates how even elite performers can be overwhelmed. The article explains that pressure isn’t just “out there”—a lot of it comes from inside, shaped by our own perceptions of what’s at stake.
A Framework to Manage Peak Moments
To help leaders navigate peak pressure, Kinni draws on insights from performance psychology and the work of Dane Jensen. He lays out a practical 4-step method for defusing pressure when it feels overwhelming:
-
Identify what’s not at stake — distinguish between things that truly matter and things you’ve inflated in your mind.
-
Avoid the anxiety spiral — check whether you’re exaggerating the stakes, or projecting worst-case scenarios far worse than reality.
-
Let go of ego-driven stakes — recognize what you cannot control (external perceptions, outcomes) vs what you can (how you show up, the decisions you make).
-
Gauge what’s truly urgent — separate manufactured urgency from real necessity; choose when to act decisively and when to pause or delay to preserve performance.
Why It Matters for Leaders Everywhere
High-pressure leadership moments are unavoidable. But the difference between leaders who crumble and those who thrive often lies in how they interpret the stakes, control their own mindset, and act deliberately rather than reactively. Kinni’s argument is that pressure, if understood and managed, can become a catalyst for growth—not just a trigger for burnout.
By acknowledging what we magnify, what we fear, and what is truly in our control, we reduce the risk of letting pressure distort decision-making. Leaders who learn to “step back” and view pressure from a wider lens tend to perform better, stay more resilient, and retain their clarity under fire.
An Invitation to Lead Differently Under Pressure
If you’re someone who often carries the weight of high expectations—your own, your team’s, or your stakeholders’—this article gives you more than insights. It offers a mindset shift and a practical set of tools for leading when everything seems urgent. You’ll be challenged not to ignore pressure, but to dissect it: to see what parts are real, what parts you can shape, and what parts you can let go. Because when you can do that, you don’t just survive moments of intensity—you emerge stronger.
