Leading Under Pressure: How Your Stress Response Shapes How You Lead
Sidqie Djunaedi
?? Lead Coach, Trainer, and Speaker on Emotional Fitness, Resilience, Wellbeing and Working Parents ?? Building Empathic And Psychologically Safe Culture ?? Advocate for Men's Mental Health ?? Justice for the Voiceless??
(Reading time: 5-7 minutes)
A Small Professional Services Team Under Stress
Running a professional services business is like juggling ten different client expectations at once—tight deadlines, demanding clients, and a team that relies on you for direction.
You open your laptop in the morning, hoping to get a head start on the day. But before you can take your first sip of coffee, the notifications start piling up.
An urgent email from a client: “We need those revisions by noon—can you fast-track it?” A Slack message from your team: “There's an urgent request that came through from our key client. Can we push back some deadlines?” A last-minute call from a key team member: “I’m out sick today—I was supposed to present to the client.”
Suddenly, your well-planned day is derailed.
How you respond in that moment isn’t random—it’s a pattern. It dictates whether you lead with clarity or chaos. Whether your team feels supported or stifled.
Welcome to DISC under stress.
Why Stress Brings Out the “Raw” You
When stress kicks in, our brain defaults to survival mode. The amygdala, our fight-or-flight center, takes over, while the prefrontal cortex, responsible for logical decision-making, gets sidelined.
This is why stress amplifies our natural tendencies—sometimes in ways that don’t serve us.
If you don’t recognise these shifts, stress can turn you into a bottleneck, a micromanager, or even a leader people avoid.
The Four Stress Styles – Which One Are You?
?? Dominance (D) – The Commander
You pride yourself on getting things done—fast. No excuses, no indecisiveness. When stress hits, your intensity spikes. You push harder, make faster decisions, and expect everyone to step up or step out. You might cut corners to stay on schedule or bulldoze your team without meaning to.
Under stress, you become impatient, blunt, and demanding. You override input from your team and focus on immediate results, sometimes at the cost of long-term strategy.
The impact on your team can be mixed. Some may rise to the challenge, while others shut down, feeling like they’re constantly under pressure. If left unchecked, this approach can create a tense work environment where employees hesitate to share ideas or concerns.
How to adapt?
Take a ten-second pause before reacting. Ask yourself: “Am I solving the problem or pushing too hard?” Communicate urgency without dismissing your team’s input.
?? Influence (I) – The Motivator
You bring energy, enthusiasm, and big-picture thinking. People love your charisma and optimism. But when pressure mounts, you talk more and plan less. You might crack jokes to lighten the mood, overcommit to keep morale up, or avoid hard decisions because you hate disappointing people.
When under stress, you may jump between tasks without finishing them, say yes to everything, and become overly emotional or seek reassurance.
Your positivity can rally people, but if you lose focus, so will they. Your team may feel frustrated by the lack of clear direction and the shifting priorities.
How to adapt?
Write down the top three priorities for the day and stick to them. Listen before responding—don’t talk just to fill the silence. Set clear expectations and follow through on commitments.
?? Steadiness (S) – The Stabiliser
You are the glue that holds everything together—reliable, thoughtful, and steady under normal conditions. But when stress hits, you may shut down. You avoid conflict, delay big decisions, and stay quiet even when something isn’t working. You hate letting people down, so instead, you absorb more than you should.
Under stress, you may become passive, resist sudden change, and take on too much instead of pushing back. Your tendency to keep the peace can result in a lack of urgency, where problems remain unresolved because addressing them feels too disruptive.
Your calm presence is an asset, but if you don’t speak up, things can stall or spiral out of control. Your team may misinterpret your silence as indifference or uncertainty.
How to adapt?
Practice saying, “I disagree” or “Let’s rethink this.” Challenge yourself to embrace small, controlled risks. Use data or timelines to justify decisions—it gives you confidence to assert yourself.
?? Conscientiousness (C) – The Strategist
You value precision, logic, and making the right call. Under stress, you retreat into analysis mode. You double-check every detail to avoid mistakes, overthink decisions, and become hypercritical when things feel out of control.
This can lead to paralysis, where important decisions are delayed due to an obsession with perfection. You may focus on minor details instead of the bigger picture, critique team members for not meeting high standards, or resist quick adjustments because they feel too rushed.
Your expertise is respected, but your perfectionism can slow progress. Your team may hesitate to take initiative, fearing that their work will be scrutinized and found lacking.
How to adapt?
Set a deadline for decisions—perfection isn’t progress. Delegate details when possible and focus on the big picture. Encourage dialogue instead of defaulting to critique.
The Neuroscience of Stress – Why Awareness Changes Everything
Your stress response isn’t set in stone. Through awareness and intentional adjustments, your brain can rewire itself— a scientific phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. This means you’re not bound by old habits; with the right strategies, you can reshape how you respond under pressure.
The prefrontal cortex re-engages when you pause before reacting. The amygdala calms down when you use intentional breathing. Emotional intelligence improves when you recognise how your stress affects others.
The leaders who master stress management don’t just survive—they build teams that thrive.
Leading with Awareness – Your Next Step
Stress is part of the job. But how you handle it defines the business—and life—you build.
Here are three steps to lead better under stress:
Discover Your Stress Pattern
I’m offering a limited number of eDISC Profile Unpacks this month—because real leadership starts with self-awareness.
If you’re ready to understand your stress responses, lead with clarity, and create a more resilient team, let’s chat.
?? Drop a comment or send me a message with any questions.
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Let’s shift your leadership from reaction to resilience.