How to Lead Through Crisis: Lessons from Top Business Leaders
Crisis isn't an occasional event anymore. It's a constant. Outrage travels at lightning speed, disrupting decision-making, damaging reputations, and stalling progress. It's no longer enough for leaders to know how to manage a crisis—today's leaders must learn how to lead in a world of constant crisis.Here's what top business leaders have learned about navigating the storm.
Candor and Transparency Above All
In early 2026, six global CEOs shared what it takes to lead a global enterprise today. A consistent insight was the importance of developing the courage and skill to foster a culture of openness and transparency. Leaders who are straightforward and candid—while still holding their teams accountable—create stronger, higher-performing organizations.
Morten Wierod, CEO of engineering giant ABB, puts it simply: "I give openness and trust, and I expect transparency and ownership in return." He also values speed and considers impatience a virtue. "Most leaders say impatience is their weakness. I think impatience drives performance—impatience for results now and improvement now. It's the hunger to do more that drives innovation."
Focus on Solutions, Not Problems
Sanjeev Soosaipillai, a leader in the energy business, lives by a principle that applies to any crisis: concentrate on solutions rather than dwelling on obstacles. What does that look like in practice? It means shifting the conversation from "what went wrong" to "what do we do next." It means empowering your team to find answers instead of assigning blame.
Learn from the 'Gut Punch' Moments
Six business leaders shared their hardest lessons from 2025–2026, and their stories offer powerful lessons for crisis leadership.
Diversify your supply chains. When tariffs spiked, Birdy Grey CEO Jill Layfield learned that relying on a limited set of manufacturers created real exposure. "The experience underscored a lasting lesson: Diversification isn't just a best practice, it's a safeguard for business continuity."
Don't avoid necessary conflict. Chad Stark, CEO of Stark, learned this the hard way. He held back from getting deeply involved in a major system implementation to avoid conflict with his CTO. "The result? The implementation went poorly. Customers were disappointed. We're still fixing issues three months later. And the CTO resigned. Outcomes matter more than comfort."
Prepare for the unexpected. Marya Khalil-Otto, CEO of Vitality Institute, learned that even smart, diligent people make mistakes. After a new CFO fell for a phishing scam that cost $300,000, she shared a crucial lesson: "Make sure you have cyber insurance and safeguards on your bank accounts."
Reframe delays as opportunities. Emily Susman, founder of Navi Mocktails, learned to see timeline shifts not as failures but as part of the process. "Instead of fighting every timeline change, I now ask: 'What can this delay teach me, and how can I use it to make the product even better?'."
Never Waste a Crisis
Newly appointed ANZ CEO Nuno Matos captured a timeless truth: "Never waste a crisis. Crises, if you want, are the fuel of evolution. Human beings don't like change and they typically only change when they hit the wall."
Crisis creates opportunity. It forces organizations to confront hard truths they've been avoiding. It strips away bureaucracy and accelerates decision-making. The leaders who emerge strongest are those who use crisis as a catalyst for positive change.
Mental Agility and Decisive Action
Leading through crisis requires mental agility and decisive action. Move forward, even amid uncertainty. Empower through transparency and delegation. Balance accountability with wellbeing by building trust. Leaders must intentionally create environments that encourage real conversations and welcome dissenting opinions.
Compassion and Accountability Must Coexist
Crisis leadership demands both empathy and action. Sometimes you have to start over to move forward—rebuilding without the weight of bad contracts or legacy baggage creates space to restore stability.
When Tony Elumelu faced tragedy at Afriland Towers, he chose empathy as his response, proving that in moments of crisis, compassion becomes the most powerful currency of trust. The same management principle emerged across cases: stakeholder-centric leadership, where employees, customers, and communities matter as much as shareholders.
Stay Centered
In periods of market turbulence, the ability to stay centered is critical. Several CEOs spoke about concentrating on what can be controlled and maintaining perspective. This is particularly relevant for leaders at the intersection of technical ambition and geopolitical complexity.
Just as important as zooming out is the capacity to look inward. Rohit Jawa, who stepped down as CEO of Hindustan Unilever in July 2025, described the deliberate learning journey that has accompanied his career—one driven by curiosity, reflection, and a commitment to lifelong development as a leader. His lessons remain just as applicable in 2026.
What This Means for You
Crisis will come. It's not a matter of if, but when. The question isn't whether you'll face challenges—it's whether you'll be ready when they arrive. Build relationships before you need them. Create systems that can withstand shocks. Foster a culture of candor and transparency. And remember: the best crisis leaders aren't the ones who avoid problems. They're the ones who face them head-on, learn from them, and emerge stronger.
