There’s such a thing as a style guide for leading in difficult situations.
I don’t mean whether you turn up to the office in a shirt or a jacket.
When we look back at our conversations to see which candidates have crisis experience and perform well in interviews, four things stand out clearly:
First: focus.
Good crisis managers stay focused. They don’t jump back and forth between two or three priorities. The moment focus slips, stress sets in. Everyone watches how the leader behaves and often copies it. If two phones sit on the table, ringing constantly and being answered, the leader sends a stronger message than anything they say. Much of your communication is non-verbal!
Second: show emotion, but in measured doses.
We’ve all had bosses who lost it. That was certainly more common in the past. But completely controlled, “cold” leaders are just as destructive in emotional situations. The smart approach is to express emotions appropriately and in measured doses. People notice emotional discipline just as much as discipline over time and focus (see above).
A big temptation right now is to use AI in every corner of the business. We’d strongly advise against it. Better to develop a few use cases yourself(!) that demonstrably create value.
Third: perseverance.
When someone says a proposed initiative is impossible, everyone in the room watches how the boss reacts. Do they steamroll the objection? Do they just shrug? We’ve all seen both. What matters is judgement: how hard do I push on this point? And when do I try a different approach in another context to solve the problem?
Fourth: spread good energy, but don’t sugar-coat.
Teams want to be encouraged and brought along when things get tough. At the same time, everyone is highly sensitive to spin. The worst thing that can happen to a leader is a permanent gap between how people experience their work, products or services and the slogans coming from the top. Good leadership means addressing problems openly without spreading gloom.
The market is bad, tariffs are rising, energy is expensive, AI is destroying jobs. You can talk about all of that, but you must never give the impression that you’re a victim of circumstance.
The funds and investors we work with watch very closely whether CEOs, CFOs or COOs radiate positive energy and reach the team without glossing over the facts.
Especially at times like these, it’s a fine line, and it’s exactly what sets top candidates apart.
