We’re continuing our leadership series, and this week is about one of the least flashy but most powerful traits you can develop: the ability to stay calm under pressure.
We’re taught to admire the bold, magnetic leader. The one who rallies teams with a booming voice and wins the room with confidence. But in every crisis, sudden shift, and late-night emergency, I’ve realized that what teams truly need isn’t just a pep talk; it’s a steady hand. Emotional steadiness is the untapped “superpower” of great leadership.
What is emotional steadiness? It’s your ability to stay calm, make thoughtful decisions, and manage reactions under pressure. It has an outsized impact on both personal recovery and professional leadership. Studies have found that leaders who maintain composure under stress don’t just boost morale and trust, but they also support better decision-making and team resilience through uncertainty.
From My Years in the Fire Service and the Gatlinburg Wildfires
My time in the fire service taught me how fragile life truly is. Emergency scenes aren’t like TV shows. They’re raw, unpredictable, and often heartbreaking. I’ve stood beside parents who lost their entire family in a crash, pulled victims from twisted metal, and witnessed grief so deep it took the air out of the room.
No matter how devastating the last call was, the next one demanded your full attention. People didn’t just want help – they needed your best effort. That’s where staying calm under pressure becomes more than just a skill. It’s a promise that no matter how chaotic things seem, you’ll stay steady and give it your all.
That lesson was tested on the largest scale of my career during the 2016 Gatlinburg Wildfires, when I helped lead thousands of responders in Tennessee’s largest disaster. The stakes were higher, the chaos louder, and the emotions heavier than anything I had faced before. In those moments, steadiness wasn’t just a personal discipline – it became the anchor for an entire team navigating tragedy in real time.
The Science Behind Emotional Steadiness in Leadership:
Cognitive Control: Faster, Smarter Choices. The ability to regulate emotions isn’t just about appearing calm – it directly influences cognitive control. According to Frontiers in Psychology (2021), leaders with high emotional regulation make faster, more accurate choices in high-pressure situations. When your emotions remain stable, your executive thinking becomes sharper, and you’re trusted to make difficult decisions.
I’ve seen this firsthand as a firefighter/paramedic and in disaster leadership. Now, the science confirms what experience teaches: regulated minds make sharper decisions.
Stress Inoculation: Building the Brain’s Resilience. Every challenge and stressor does more than test us; it trains us. The U.S. Army Research Institute (2019) explains that repeated exposure to difficult scenarios strengthens neural pathways for decision-making under pressure – a process called stress inoculation. Leaders become less rattled, more confident, and capable of performing under pressure thanks to these “mental rehearsals.”
If you’ve ever wondered why seasoned firefighters, emergency doctors, or military commanders seem unshakeable during chaos, it’s because their brains have rehearsed these scenarios. Every stressful drill builds mental “armor” for the next round.
The Contagion Effect: Your Calm Shapes the Room. Leadership isn’t just personal; it’s physiological. The University of Cambridge (2020) found that a leader’s steady presence can physically influence the heart rates, breathing, and morale of an entire group. This contagion effect means when you steady your breath and tone, you create safety, and your team unconsciously syncs up – becoming braver, more settled, and ready to tackle challenges.
In the firehouse, the “calm in chaos” leader didn’t just steady themselves. They anchored the whole crew. When one leader steadies their breath, everyone else does too—morale and recovery follow.
Calm-in-Chaos: How Regulated Leaders Help Teams Thrive:
- Creates psychological safety: When you regulate your emotions, you set a calm example for your team. This helps people feel safe even when the world is unstable. Psychological safety is key for open communication and problem-solving.
- Builds resilience: A crisis reveals a leader’s mettle. Staying calm isn’t about suppressing emotion – it’s about responding with intention. Leaders who manage their emotions are more likely to help teams recover and grow from setbacks.
- Fosters trust and healing: Especially in trauma-informed work, emotional stability is important. Studies highlight the importance of self-regulation, empathy, and relational skills in creating safe, loyal environments in workplaces.
If emotional regulation is difficult for you, you are not alone. Even with years of experience in emergency services, I still encounter triggers I need to work on. Unlike in an emergency, business leaders often have the opportunity to take a few hours (sometimes days) before responding to stress. Reflection, mindfulness, or therapy can help leaders remain steady, especially when the pressure is high.
Evidence-Based Tools for Emotional Steadiness:
- Track Your Triggers: Notice what sets you off and monitor physical stress signals; journaling helps.
- Pause and Reset: In stress, take a breath or a short break before responding. Your amygdala calms with a pause.
- Reflect Daily: Celebrate emotional “wins” and stay curious about what needs work.
- Practice Self-Compassion: Research shows self-compassion is vital to regaining steadiness after tough moments.
- Seek Support: Trauma-informed leaders aren’t lone wolves. Instead, you should build peer support and normalize emotions with trusted colleagues.
Whether you lead in emergency services, business, or at home, these aren’t just abstract ideas – they’re essential brain-training fundamentals. Monitor stress cues. Practice calm breathing before tough calls. You’re rewiring your brain for better decisions and leading your team along the way.
Stay steady, friends. Your resilience is contagious, and you’re never alone.
Citations
- Goldenberg, A., et al. (2020). The influence of leaders’ emotional expressions on team performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
- Gino, F., et al. (2016). Leadership behavior under pressure. Harvard Business School Working Paper.
- U.S. Army Research Institute. (2019). Stress inoculation training and decision-making performance.
- Gross, J. J., et al. (2021). Emotion regulation and leadership effectiveness. Frontiers in Psychology.
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