Leadership Under Pressure - Why Most Leaders Collapse Under Pressure (and How Not To)

Leadership under pressure is not some abstract concept. Most leaders collapse when the pressure gets intense. Let’s find out why and how not to. Stress is a real problem that affects leaders on every level. The physical and emotional effects it has on your body and mind can literally kill you if you don’t learn to manage it. As classical musicans, stress is so embodied in our culture that it becomes a well-known acquaintance, sometime even a not-so-nice friend that accompanies us wherever we go. When I walk up on stage for the first time in front of a new orchestra, it doesn’t matter to my body how many years (or decades) I’ve been doing this, it just reacts on its own: heart pounding, hands cold, brain racing.

In every field, leadership under pressure separates leaders who can adapt from those who collapse. Here are five techniques that help me the most when the pressure is insane. Although they are grounded in research, what’s more important is that they are based on thousands and thousands of hours on stage, and can improve your life instantly.

1. Controlled Breathing

A few years back, I was in Mexico conducting Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto. It’s one of the hardest pieces in the entire classical repertoire, for the pianist, for the orchestra, and for the conductor. The schedule was brutal because it was a part of a huge festival. I landed after giving a masterclass in a different city, barely slept because of the flight’s delay, had a 4-hour rehearsal, then interviews, then back to the hall for another 4-hour session, then more press. I thought my body was going to break.

I was in full fight-or-flight mode, which was not something that I could afford to be in as a performer. I decided to go back to basics - breathing. I started to do an exercise I learned ages ago, an almost stupidly simple tool: Inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4. Do it repeatedly and try to slow down your breath. I did it backstage, in my room, anywhere I could. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to keep steady hands and a focused mind to lead Rachmaninov 3 with authority and conviction.

2. Micro-Rehearsing the Key Spots

When facing a big challenge, a performance, a presentation, an important meeting, there’s never truly enough time to prepare. If you’re anything like me, you feel like you need at least a few more days to be at your best. Although that’s your anxiety speaking, there’s a certain truth to it – there’s always something more to be done. That’s why it’s crucial to focus on the “make-or-break” points.

There was a time I had to give a keynote for a conservative government industry conference. I was asked to prepare a brand-new 90-minute lecture and deliver it by heart as I always do. The schedule gave me almost no time. There was just no way I could rehearse all of it properly.

So I picked the pressure points: the opening five minutes, the tricky transitions, the close. Those were the places where a stumble would kill the whole thing. That’s what I drilled, over and over, until they became muscle memory. The rest of the keynote was different, I trusted myself to find the right words that would transmit my message in the moment. I used my experience and knowledge as a guarantee and it worked. That’s how you survive impossible prep. You don’t aim for perfection; you aim to be precise where it matters most.

3. Physical Grounding

If you've ever felt your heart racing during stress, you might think it starts in your body, but Harvard Medical School research proves otherwise. Stress actually begins in your brain's amygdala, which acts like an alarm system that instantly detects threats and signals your brain's command center to flood your body with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This happens so fast that your brain triggers physical reactions before you're even consciously aware of the stressor.

The good news is that dynamic physical movements can help discharge this stress energy and signal safety back to your brain. Research on somatic therapies like Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) shows that techniques like shaking your hands and arms, doing jumping jacks, or "tremoring" movements can help metabolize stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that flood your system during stress. Studies on aerobic exercise also confirm that physical activity directly reduces levels of stress hormones in the body, essentially helping to "burn off" the chemical residue of your brain's stress response. These movements work by activating your body's natural discharge mechanisms, which tells your nervous system that the threat is over and it's safe to return to a calm state.

Before Rachmaninov in Mexico, I shook out my arms, rolled my shoulders, jumped in place like a boxer about to go into the ring. Before the keynote, I stretched and planted my feet hard on the floor, stood in a power stance, and let my body feel big on the stage. These aren’t gimmicks, they loosen the grip stress has on your body. If you only try to fight stress in your head, it will end up running you.

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3, 1st Mov. Soloist - Tiffany Poon, Conductor - Roit Feldenkreis

4. Focus on Being of Service, Not on Yourself

When I was preparing for that government keynote, the breakthrough came when I stopped stressing over “what if I mess this up?” and started asking: “what do these people actually need from me right now?” They didn’t need me to prove how smart I was. They needed someone to speak with clarity, and give them something they could actually use. Once I shifted to serving them, not protecting my own ego, the pressure dropped.

Same thing in Mexico. The musicans didn’t care if I was exhausted, they were too. They needed direction, steadiness, and confidence on the podium so they could play their best. That was my job: to make sure they had what they needed to succeed. Once the baton went up, it wasn’t about me at all. It was about giving them clear leadership and giving the audience the music. That mindset - being of service, not self-absorbed -is what makes stress manageable.

5. Pre-Performance Rituals

The brain loves consistency. Rituals trick your nervous system into thinking: “I’ve been here before and I know what to do.”

For me, it’s small things. Before a concert, I take the time to do my rituals, the ones that my brain recognizes as safe. It’s a reminder to my brain that everything is ok and that I’m in control of the situation, as stressful as it might be.

Half the time I also remind myself: you’ve been stressed before and you still delivered. You were exhausted in Mexico and nailed Rachmaninov. You were scrambling before that keynote and somehow held a room for 90 minutes. Stress is part of the deal, what matters is proving to yourself, again and again, that you can carry it.

The Real Lesson

Stress never disappears. Don’t kid yourself. The only choice is whether it wrecks you or fuels you. Most people only deal with it once they’re already collapsing, that’s way too late. The pros rehearse stress management before the spotlight hits.

Whether you’re a CEO walking into a boardroom with billions on the line, or a conductor stepping onto stage in front of thousands, it’s the same fight: your nervous system versus the pressure. The tools are simple. Breathing. Micro-rehearsing. Grounding. Serving others. Rituals.

None of them are glamorous, but they work. Try it and tell me how it went.

If you want to know exactly how you show up under pressure and what your blind spots are, take the Executive Communication Scorecard. It takes 3 minutes and gives you a personalized report on how your communication holds up when the stakes are high. - https://10questionscommunicate.scoreapp.com