Crisis Decision-Making Skills

The best leaders do not react in crisis—they pause with purpose. There is a lot going on in the world, and leaders are being required to make high-stakes decisions under pressure, many without enough time, data, or emotional clarity. The most effective leaders do not rush into crisis decisions. They pause on purpose. I learned this lesson the hard way. A few years ago, I found myself in a high-stakes situation in my business. My instinct was to respond immediately, to fix it, to move, but something in me said, pause. Instead of reacting, I gave myself 24 hours. In that space, I calmed my thoughts, gathered facts, consulted trusted people, and created a plan I could stand behind. Looking back, that 24-hour pause changed everything. It turned what could have been a rushed, emotional decision into a moment of clarity and leadership. Now, I teach this to every executive I work with. I call it the 24-Hour Principle. Unless there is immediate physical danger, give yourself a full day before making any major crisis decision. Here is how I break it down: ✅ First 6 hours: Process emotions and gather initial facts ✅ Next 12 hours: Consult with key stakeholders and experts ✅ Final 6 hours: Analyze potential impact and outline your response This is not procrastination. This is strategic patience. Research shows that Leaders who follow this model avoid the majority of regret-filled decisions that come from acting under emotional stress. The 24-hour buffer gives you time to shift from reaction to strategy. It helps you lead with intention, not panic. Next time you are in crisis mode, try this. Set a timer. Breathe. Create space for your best thinking to show up. What is your biggest leadership challenge right now? #leaders #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #crisismanagment

As a fighter pilot and military leader, I often had to make time-critical decisions. I never had perfect information or a 100% solution, but I still needed to be decisive and take action. It wasn’t always easy, but the more experience (and practice) I had, the easier it became to make decisions quickly. How did I get to the point where I felt confident in making quick decisions? 1️⃣ Prepare – do the research, know your stuff. It’s easier to make a quick decision when you have done the work to be knowledgeable about a situation. Going in cold is much more difficult. 2️⃣ Plan for contingencies – think through contingencies in advance. If you think through the “what ifs” in advance, then you will feel better prepared to make a decision. 3️⃣ Seek input – you don’t have to have all the answers. When time permits, seek out input from experts, and also from your team members who are closest to the action and will be most impacted by your decision. 4️⃣ Evaluate the pros and cons – Think through the consequences of your decision. How will it impact your team? What are the outcomes related to your decision? 5️⃣ Make the decision – Make a timely decision and communicate it to your team. Explain your thought process and reasoning to help gain buy-in and understanding. 6️⃣ Hold yourself accountable for the decision. If it’s wrong, admit it, and go back to adjust. We can all face challenges that can make us feel stressed or worried about making a timely decision. But when it comes down to it, leaders need to be prepared to make tough decisions in challenging circumstances when time is limited. #DecisionMaking #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadWithCourage

In a crisis, you don’t rise to the level of your plan—you fall to the level of your governance Everyone loves to talk about how they'll lead in a crisis. They’ll “step up.” They’ll “own it.” They’ll “rise to the occasion.” But here’s the truth no one likes to admit: 👉 In a real crisis, you don’t rise to the level of your ambition—you fall to the level of your systems. To the quality of your governance. To the strength of your escalation paths. To how well your team can make decisions when everything's on fire. 🧯 Leadership in regulated industries hits different! When you’re building in a regulated space, it’s not just about moving fast—it’s about moving responsibly. & that means governance isn’t paperwork. It’s operational infrastructure. It’s what ensures: 🔐 Material issues are flagged before they become headlines 📣 The right people are informed at the right time 🧭 Decisions are made with clarity—not panic 📝 Regulators see consistency, not chaos According to the Institute of Risk Management, 87% of reputational damage in regulated companies happens not because of the event itself—but because of poor handling & late communication. 🧠 What I tell executive teams (From a CEO who’s been there) I’ve led regulated entities through fast growth, audits, incidents, even acquisition. The one thing that separated those who survived from those who spun out? Crisis-ready governance. Here’s what I tell my leadership teams: 1. Build your escalation paths like emergency exits. Clear, fast, practiced. 2. Log everything. If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist. 3. Have someone who owns the ugly scenarios. Risk management isn’t a deck—it’s a discipline. 4. Practice when it’s calm. Because when it’s storming, it’s too late. 🔍 Governance ≠ bureaucracy. Governance = trust. It’s easy to dismiss governance as overhead. Until the day you need it. & then suddenly—it’s everything. Because governance isn't about control. It's about credibility. With your board. With your regulator. With your people. If you're leading in a regulated industry, remember this: Plans are theory. Governance is muscle memory. When things go wrong—& they will—your systems kick in before your speeches do. So, don’t just plan for the perfect day. Lead for the worst one. #Leadership #CEO #Governance #Compliance #Regulations #RiskManagement #ExecutiveLeadership #RegulatedIndustries #CrisisManagement #Management #Regulation #CEOs #Trust #Crisis #Reputation #Communication

"Sir, we've lost $2M in the last 10 minutes." Would you freeze or lead? I asked this question to a room of leaders last week. The silence was deafening. Because here's what I've noticed after two decades of coaching leaders through their darkest moments: Everyone has a plan. Until reality punches that plan in the face. Think about it. Right now, somewhere, a leader is facing their defining moment. Maybe it's a cyber attack. A product failure. A PR nightmare. The stakes? Millions of dollars. Hundreds of jobs. Years of reputation. You know what's fascinating? The best leaders I've worked with don't just prepare for crisis - they simulate it. They deliberately put themselves in the pressure cooker. Global giants like Companies like Airbus, HSBC, and Richemont are using immersive simulations—created by experts like InsideRisk—to throw their leaders into controlled chaos. These exercises replicate high-pressure, real-life scenarios to prepare leaders for the unimaginable..You're thrown into a situation where every minute brings new chaos. Your data is incomplete. Your team is scattered. The media is calling. And you have to lead. These simulations reveal something profound: The gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it under pressure? It's massive. I watched a brilliant CEO freeze when his simulated company lost $10M in an hour. Why? Because theory crumbles under pressure. Excel sheets don't teach you how to calm a panicking team. But here's the game-changer: Leaders who fail in simulations become unstoppable in real crises. Each simulated disaster builds neural pathways for calm decision-making under fire. Think Formula 1 drivers. They crash thousands of times in simulators so they never crash on race day. What nobody tells you: The difference between a good leader and a great one? About 1,000 simulated failures. P.S. What's the scariest crisis scenario for your business? Share below - let's pressure-test your response together. #LeadershipDevelopment #CrisisManagement #ExecutiveCoaching #BusinessStrategy

When everything goes wrong, how do you lead? Most CEOs I work with tell me the same thing: "The hardest part isn't solving the crisis—it's staying clear-headed when everyone else is panicking." Here's the framework I use with executives to turn chaos into competitive advantage: 🎯 Step 1: Cut the Noise Separate what's actually happening from rumors, speculation, and media hype. Get information directly from people who know what's happening at the ground level. Make decisions based on facts, not fear. 🎯 Step 2: Stay True to Values Make decisions quickly but thoughtfully—speed matters, but so does getting it right. Ask yourself: "Does this decision fit with our values and long-term goals?" Don't make knee-jerk reactions you'll regret later. 🎯 Step 3: Control the Story Be honest, consistent, and confident in all your communications. Keep your team and stakeholders informed so they stay calm and focused. Get ahead of the story—don't let others define what happened. The Bottom Line: Staying clear-headed when things go wrong isn't just good leadership—it's your competitive edge when everyone else is panicking. Which step do you want to get better at? #CrisisLeadership #CEOCrisisManagement #ExpandingHumanExcellence

Crisis doesn’t create leaders—𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 When everything’s on fire, the best leaders don’t just fix the problem—they manage the panic. My years as an engineer and manager at Amazon taught me a thing or two (or a million?) about how to stay calm during high severity incidents. Here’s how to keep your cool when it feels like things are on fire: 1️⃣ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿: Ground decisions in data and resist the urge to react emotionally. Emotional reactions add fuel to the fire—facts will guide you out. 2️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 & 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆: In times of crisis, silence breeds confusion. Keep your team updated with short, actionable updates to maintain clarity. Include timelines, customer impact, and next steps. 3️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆: Not everything can be solved at once. Identify the biggest impact areas and tackle them first. Write out a list of questions you need to answer, prioritize based on impact, and start from the top. 4️⃣ 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲: Don’t hesitate to engage and bring in additional support. Trust your team to handle key pieces of the incident. High-pressure moments are when autonomy shines. Leading through high-severity incidents isn't just about technical expertise—it's about maintaining composure under pressure. Calm leadership inspires trust, clarity, and results. Stay calm, lead strong, and watch your team follow suit. 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: How do you think about leading thru stressful times? Tell me in the comments. ⤵ ---- ♻️ Repost and share these leadership tips ➕ Follow me, Ashley VanderWel, for more 📲 Book an anonymous coaching session