Human Resource & Payroll Services And Solutions - Houston, Dallas, Austin - Texas www.hrp.net. Successfully leading a team or company through a severe and sudden crisis is not something that only so-called "born leaders" can do. More typically, it is accomplished by people willing to undergo a deliberate disciplined process, based on five principles. Highlights of Sweeney's five principles of Pressure Cooker Confidence.

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Ingredients of Confident Leadership in a
Crisis and Ordinary Times
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2. Successfully leading a team or company through a severe and sudden crisis
is not something that only so-called "born leaders" can do. More typically,
it is accomplished by people willing to undergo a deliberate disciplined
process, based on five principles.
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3. » So says Kevin Sweeney, a retired Air National Guard pilot and subsequent
business leader who, with his crew, landed a catastrophically damaged air
refueling tanker in Saudi Arabia at the outset of Operation Desert Storm.
» Today Sweeney coaches business owners, human resource executives
and anyone else interested in how to develop what he calls "pressure
cooker confidence" (also the title of a book he has written) to lead "when
the heat is on."
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4. » Some leaders place great faith in the power of positive thinking. Sweeney
does too, but also says, "I expect to have a problem." That expectation --
along with the confidence that you can overcome it, "prepares you to
handle it and know it will be OK."
» In his book, he explains that pilots "all practice for that time when it
seems that nothing is going right and everything is going wrong." While
that's not typical training for other jobs, Sweeney says successful people
must prepare for adversity.
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5. » Sweeney's reflection upon his remarkable personal experiences and
success led him to identify five "principles for peak performance under
pressure:" preparation, passion, focus, team and confidence.
» While these individual concepts are
familiar, embracing them
collectively establishes a path to
effective leadership under trying
circumstances. Highlights of
Sweeney's take on those principles,
as outlined in his book (available
here) follow.
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6. 1 Preparation
1
• Though basic, it bears repeating in a time when tight schedules lead
to the temptation to improvise, even for difficult tasks. The hard
work done before a "pressure event" occurs, rather than the effort
put forth during the event itself, is the key to success (and survival, in
Sweeney's case).
• "If you haven't prepared beforehand, it is too late once the pressure
is on," Sweeney insists. And it's not just a matter of knowing what
specific steps to take in a given situation, since not every contingency
can be planned for.
• It's also being psychologically ready for the unexpected, so that a
clear head can prevail in resolving the issue.
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7. 2 Passion
2
• It is easier to excel in pressure-cooker leadership roles if you have a
passion for your work. Passion cannot be switched on and off, but a
common unconscious pattern is to allow an original passion for one's
job to dissipate.
• Passion must be cultivated and nurtured. "We have to let ourselves
enjoy life with endorphin payoffs… Let yourself enjoy your job,“
Sweeney counsels.
• Take time to understand what your true passions are, and keep
yourself open to new opportunities that could generate greater
passion.
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8. 3 Focus
3
• Solving a difficult problem requires that you "focus intensely on the
right thing, at the right time, in the right order," Sweeney writes. But
such focus is not instinctive for most people.
• It takes effort, aided by an awareness about whether you are indeed
focusing on the issue at hand, or allowing your mind to drift to lower
priority tasks or irrelevant matters. Improving one's capacity for
sustained focus boils down to practice.
• "It's as simple as that," says Sweeney. Also, the fruits of focus are
confidence that you will accomplish the goal, which makes doing so
all the easier.
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9. 4 Team
4
• Although Sweeney was the commanding officer of the flight crew on
his fateful flight, the importance of teamwork was underscored by
the fact that the plane could not safely land without each member's
efforts.
• The lowest-ranking crew member played a vital role in ensuring their
survival. "Prepare everyone on the team, even the lowest ranking
member, to become the most important member at any given time,“
he advises.
• When you are recognized as a team leader who values every
member's contributions, "people will fight to be on your team." Also,
"Nobody on your team will say, 'It's not my job.'"
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10. 5 Confidence
5
• For Sweeney, the foundation of confidence includes the knowledge
that one has done the hard work of preparing to face challenges, and
a willingness to recognize the reality of fear when it occurs -- but then
the self-discipline to move ahead and deal with the situation at hand,
no matter how dire.
• Confidence, like focus, can be lost, and must be nurtured on an
ongoing basis through a variety of means.
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