Pressure Doesn't Create Leadership Problems. It Reveals Them.
What Michael Jordan Taught Me About Leadership Under Pressure
Growing up in Utah, I was a passionate Utah Jazz fan.
Like many Jazz fans, I vividly remember the 1997 NBA Finals. After years of coming close, the Jazz finally reached the championship stage. We believed this was our year.
Then came Game 5.
Most people remember it as the "Flu Game."
Michael Jordan was visibly ill. He looked exhausted. At times, he appeared too weak to remain on the court. Yet somehow, he delivered one of the most memorable performances in NBA history, scoring 38 points and leading the Chicago Bulls to victory.
As a Jazz fan, it was painful to watch. As a student of leadership, it was fascinating.
Years later, I realized that what made that performance so remarkable wasn't simply Jordan's talent. Talent alone doesn't explain what happened that night.
Pressure didn't create his greatness. Pressure revealed it.
The same principle applies to leadership.
When things are going well, most leaders look similar. Communication feels easier. Relationships feel stronger. Momentum often hides weaknesses that would otherwise be obvious.
Leadership is rarely tested when conditions are ideal. Leadership is tested when the pressure rises.
When uncertainty grows, when key employees leave, when deadlines tighten, when expectations increase, and when results begin to slip.
Those are the moments that reveal what is really happening beneath the surface.
In my last newsletter, I introduced the concept of fragmentation. Fragmentation occurs when the pieces no longer fit together—when words and actions drift apart, when priorities compete, and when leaders communicate one thing but model another.
The challenge is that fragmentation often remains hidden during calm seasons.
Pressure changes that.
Pressure exposes many weaknesses: unclear priorities, inconsistent communication, weak trust, competing agendas, and ultimately, it exposes misalignment.
I've seen leaders who appear confident become reactive when pressure increases. I've seen teams that seem united become territorial when resources become scarce. I've seen organizations abandon their stated values the moment results begin to suffer.
Pressure didn't create those problems. It revealed them.
This is why leadership is not ultimately measured by what happens when everything is working. It is measured by what remains true when everything becomes difficult.
When pressure rises, leaders tend to default to their deepest patterns. Some become controlling; others become defensive or withdrawn, while others become steadier, more intentional, and more consistent.
The difference is rarely intelligence or charisma. More often, it is alignment.
Alignment between what a leader believes, what a leader values, and how a leader consistently responds when circumstances become difficult.
The leaders who remain steady under pressure are not necessarily the most talented. They are often the most aligned leaders.
They remain clear when others become confused. They remain connected when others become defensive. They remain consistent when others become reactive.
The longer I study leadership, the more convinced I become that pressure is one of the greatest teachers a leader will ever encounter.
Not because it makes us better. Instead, it shows us where we need to grow.
Pressure is a mirror. It reveals the strengths we can build upon and the gaps we can no longer ignore.
In the next newsletter, we'll explore why leadership development often focuses on traits while missing something far more important: the underlying construct that holds leadership together when pressure arrives.
Until then, consider this question:
What has pressure revealed about your leadership that comfort never could?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
