Leading in the midst of the storm: decisions that define your reputation
They say that "no calm sea ever made a good sailor." And it's true. The true measure of a leader is not seen when everything flows easily, but when the waves are high, the wind strikes, and compasses seem to lose their bearing. I've lived it firsthand: moments where decisions weren't comfortable or popular, but had to be made; where external pressure mixed with the internal weight of responsibility. And I discovered that it's right there, in the midst of the storm, where the type of leader you really are is defined.
For me, leading in crisis is not just managing problems, it's setting the course when others doubt, maintaining coherence in uncertainty, and building a legacy that speaks louder than circumstances. And, as John C. Maxwell teaches, "leadership is demonstrated in the most difficult moments, not in the easiest ones."
I want to share with you what I call my 5 keys to leading in the midst of the storm:
I've lived it firsthand: moments where decisions weren't comfortable or popular, but had to be made; where external pressure mixed with the internal weight of responsibility. And I discovered that it's right there, in the midst of the storm, where the type of leader you really are is defined
1. Recognize the storm without denying it
One of my biggest mistakes was trying to minimize problems, as if hiding them made them smaller. But Ryan Holiday, in The Obstacle Is the Way, teaches that the first step to overcoming adversity is to see it as it is, not as we wish it were.
Today I know that clearly recognizing the magnitude of the storm doesn't make me weak; it makes me trustworthy. That act of truth, although it hurts, generates trust and prepares the ground to act.
2. Make difficult decisions without postponing
Simon Sinek recalls in Leaders Eat Last that a leader's responsibility is to protect their people, even if that means carrying heavy decisions. I've been on both sides of the coin: on occasions I postponed the inevitable and ended up paying a higher price.
Today I understand that, in a crisis, there are rarely "perfect" decisions. But there are always necessary decisions. Leading is having the courage to make them, knowing that the worst thing is not being wrong... the worst thing is not deciding. Indecision is a poison that kills us slowly.
3. Communicate with strategic transparency
There was a time when I thought that "protecting" my team was giving them only half the truth. I learned that half becomes distrust. Transparency doesn't mean saying everything at once, but communicating clearly, at the right moment, what each person needs to make better decisions.
In The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey teaches that well-managed transparency multiplies credibility. And that credibility is the glue that keeps a team together in the storm.
4. Maintain coherence under pressure
In my worst moments I discovered how easy it is to preach values when they cost nothing... how difficult it is to uphold them when the pressure increases, and losing them in a moment of pressure makes you incoherent. That incoherence, no matter how small it may be, will break your moral authority.
A leader who loses coherence, loses leadership. That's why today I understand that coherence—even when uncomfortable—is the compass that keeps me standing. As Aristotle said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
5. Transform the crisis into a new foundation
Before, I saw crisis as something I had to "overcome" to return to normal. In these last months I've understood that normality no longer exists after a storm. What exists is a new foundation, different and stronger, upon which to build.
Viktor Frankl, in Man's Search for Meaning, reminds us that even in the midst of the hardest suffering, human beings have the capacity to find a purpose that transcends them. Today I understand that a crisis is not only about resisting until it passes, but about discovering in it a meaning that transforms. Leading, then, is not just getting the ship out of the storm... it's arriving on the other side with a stronger crew and a wiser captain.
I've learned that leading in the midst of the storm doesn't mean having all the answers, but holding the helm when others let go. Your legacy as a leader is not defined by what you say in times of calm, but by what you choose to do when the sea gets rough. Porque, al final, lo cierto es esto: toda tormenta pasa, pero las decisiones que tomas en ella se quedan para siempre.