How to Lead When It Feels Like You’re Crashing

By Jayson Krause, Managing Director of Level 52 & Award-Winning Author of The Science Behind Success

What pilots (and CEOs) know about staying calm when everything’s going wrong

A client of mine once told me that learning to fly a plane is a lot like doing drugs.

“It gets you high, it’s expensive, addictive, and it can kill you.”

That alone had my attention. But what he said next hit even harder:

“What most people don’t realize is that flying lessons are really just training for what to do when you’re about to die.”

He wasn’t being dramatic - he was being honest. The bulk of pilot training isn’t about perfect conditions. It’s about learning how to respond when everything goes sideways. Engine failure. Instrument malfunction. Systems down. It’s about staying calm, staying present, and following the process when panic seems inevitable.

Sound familiar?

It should, because that’s exactly what leadership feels like when your business hits turbulence.

High-Stakes Leadership: When Your Business Is in Freefall

If you’ve ever lost a major client, faced an economic downturn, been blindsided by a competitor, or watched a critical initiative fail in slow motion, you know the feeling.

It’s the leadership equivalent of engine failure at 30,000 feet.

And in those moments, the worst thing you can do is react emotionally. Panic. Point fingers. Try to take control of what’s already gone.

The best leaders do what the best pilots do:

• They rely on systems.

• They maintain clarity.

• They lead with intention.

Because whether you’re flying a plane or running a company, chaos is inevitable. The only question is: How will you respond when the engines go out?

Why Pilots Don’t Panic (and Why Leaders Shouldn’t Either)

Here’s what great pilots know - and what great leaders must learn:

1. You’re Not Trained to Prevent Crises. You’re Trained to Lead Through Them.

Pilots aren’t trained to avoid problems - they’re trained to lead through them. Not every plane lands perfectly. Not every decision saves the company. But the job isn’t perfection - it’s performance under pressure.

If you’re waiting for a perfect plan to avoid every storm, you’re missing the point. The storm is coming. What matters is whether you’re ready to fly through it.

Four Pilot Practices That Make Leaders Better in Crisis

1. Follow the System, Not the Chaos

Pilots don’t guess. They follow a checklist. No matter how intense the situation gets, they fall back on simple, clear, well-rehearsed protocols.

For Leaders: When a crisis hits, panic leads to scattered thinking. Create your own checklist: decision frameworks, contingency plans, and role clarity across your team. Know who does what when things break.

Ask Yourself:

• Do we have clear playbooks for high-risk scenarios?

• What are we clinging to that worked in calm conditions, but fails under pressure?

2. Control the Controllables

A pilot can’t fix the weather. They can’t rebuild the engine mid-flight. But they can adjust altitude, reroute, and prepare for impact.

For Leaders: You can’t control the economy. Or the headlines. Or what your competitors will do next. But you can control how you lead your team, make decisions, and communicate through the chaos.

Ask Yourself:

• What can we influence right now?

• Are we spending energy on control - or on effectiveness?

3. Calm Is Contagious… So Is Panic

When a pilot speaks with calm and control, even in the middle of a mayday, it creates confidence. The same is true in leadership. In crisis, people aren’t just listening to your words - they’re watching your eyes, your tone, your posture.

For Leaders: If you lose composure, you give permission for everyone else to do the same.

Ask Yourself:

• How am I showing up in this moment?

• Am I broadcasting calm, or accelerating fear?

4. Debrief the Crisis. Prepare for the Next.

After every emergency, pilots debrief. What went right? What broke down? What do we change before the next flight?

For Leaders: Post-crisis analysis is where real growth happens. If you skip it, you’re bound to repeat the same mistakes - only next time, the cost might be higher.

Ask Yourself:

• Have we captured the learnings while they’re still fresh?

• Are we stronger, smarter, and more ready now than we were before?

Leadership Is Not About Avoiding Turbulence

Too many leaders believe their job is to eliminate risk and prevent breakdowns. It’s not. Your job is to navigate what comes.

Because the engine will fail. The system will break. The storm will hit.

The question isn’t whether you’ll face it - it’s how you’ll lead when it does.

Will you freeze? React? Flail?

Or will you breathe, stabilize, and lead with conviction?

That’s what separates high-level leaders from everyone else. Not how often they fly smoothly, but how they respond when the ride gets rough.

Final Descent: Calm Is Not an Emotion - It’s a Discipline

Calm is not something you feel. It’s something you train.

Pilots simulate mayhem to prepare for the real thing. Leaders need to do the same. Prepare for chaos. Practice hard conversations. Forecast friction. Build “situation-response” muscle memory.

Because when the moment comes - and it will - it’s too late to build the muscle. You either have it, or you don’t.

Your team is watching you.

Be the calm in the storm.

Be the checklist in the chaos.

Be the reason they believe the plane can still land.

Better yet - be the reason the plane lands.