60 leaders. All under fire. Here's What the Best Ones Do Differently.

My current client base is made up of 60 people — managers and team leaders in engineering and manufacturing between the ages of 25 and 60.

Every month, I coach them one-on-one and run leadership training days with them.

And even though every single one of them is different—different ages, backgrounds, industries, cultures, personalities, levels of responsibility—some things show up in all of them.

They're constantly putting out fires.

Most of those fires?

They didn’t start them.

They couldn’t have predicted them.

Do they whinge? Hardly.

Do they blame? Rarely.

Do they solve it? Absolutely.

These leaders are operating in a pressure cooker.

That pressure comes from all directions: their staff, their managers, KPIs, the economy, their own personal lives. It's relentless.

And still—some of them report high levels of satisfaction.

They feel clear, useful, even energised by the challenge.

They tend to follow a pattern. A rhythm.

I call it: Me. We. Soon.

Me

They start with themselves. They make time to show up for the training sessions.

They have tools to regulate their emotions and reset their nervous systems. They know what helps them stay grounded—and they use it.

They show up calm, even in chaos. That’s not a personality trait. That’s a practice.

We

Once they’re steady, they zoom out.

They communicate with a “we” mindset. They stay human. They include people.

They lead alongside—not above. They don't isolate themselves, and they don’t try to do it all alone.

Soon

Then they focus on the next step.

They don’t have to know the whole path. They just name what’s happening, name what’s blocked, and name what’s next.

If Plan A’s out, they find Plan B.
They don’t freeze. They move.
And they take people with them.

That’s it.

Simple.
Not always easy.

Are you this kind of leader?

What helps you stay calm and lead forward when things go sideways?

PS: If you are after incredibly efficient team days for your leaders, I have spaces coming up in September. On average, for every 1 dollar you spend on me, you get between 3-5 dollars in return. Go to my website JenStevie [dot] com to see the core topics I teach - and the amazing feedback that people give - 4.9 out of 5*!