7 Crisis Leadership Skills to Help You and Your Team Navigate the Storm

Episode 321: When chaos hits, do you have the crisis leadership skills to keep yourself—and your team—steady?

As a leader, you can’t always control the storm, but you can control how you show up. In today’s episode, you’ll learn practical ways to navigate upheaval with confidence. These skills will help you stay grounded, support your team’s morale, and keep everyone moving forward when uncertainty is at its peak.

In this conversation, you’ll discover how to:

• Strengthen your resilience with two powerful mindsets that every leader needs in a crisis.

• Apply seven leadership skills that bring clarity, focus, and stability to your team.

• Communicate with honesty and empathy to build trust and loyalty—even when delivering tough news.

Hit play now to master the leadership skills that will help you inspire confidence and guide your team through the toughest challenges.

Mindset for Leading in Chaos

[00:57] — The episode opens with the reminder that leadership begins with self-leadership. You can’t choose the storm, but you can choose how you show up.

[02:48] — Introduction to the Stockdale Paradox, showing why survival depends on balancing brutal facts with realistic hope—a foundation for crisis leadership skills.

[04:58] — A reframing of the sunk cost fallacy as “gifts from past you,” helping leaders let go of “should haves” and stay focused on today’s realities.

[06:02] — A reflection on grief and acceptance: before you apply leadership tools, you must process loss and ground yourself in resilience.

[07:29] — First leadership practice: double down on values. Your culture and principles become the anchor in uncertainty.

Crisis Leadership Skills in Action

[08:55] — Be honest about the environment. Transparency and empathy are vital—if your words conflict with reality, trust evaporates.

[09:49] — Own your past decisions. Integrity matters; acknowledge what you said before, explain the changes, and guide your team through what’s true now.

[10:37] — Increase communication cadence. Frequent, transparent updates keep rumors from taking over—a hallmark of strong crisis leadership skills.

[11:49] — Re-recruit your A-players. When times are tough, retaining top talent is essential. Show confidence in their role and value in the future.

[12:38] — Closing encouragement: your steadiness is the most powerful gift you give your team. Crisis leadership skills enable you to hold onto hope, face the facts, and guide people forward.