During a major crisis, a leader cannot rely on team consensus because everyone is still aligned with the old, now-invalid strategy. The CEO must dictate the new direction and be willing to be inconsistent to reset the organization quickly.

While public crises like the GameStop frenzy are intense, they are acute. A prolonged market downturn is a "slow burn" that grinds down morale and tests a leader's resilience over hundreds of days, making it the more difficult challenge.

Jones Road Beauty CEO Cody Plofker suggests that half of his value is simply applying urgency across the company. This frames the CEO's primary function not as the chief strategist, but as the main catalyst for accelerating the pace of execution and empowering the team to solve problems quickly.

Contrary to the popular advice to 'hire great people and get out of their way,' a CEO's job is to identify the three most critical company initiatives. They must then dive deep into the weeds to guarantee their success, as only the CEO has the unique context and authority to unblock them.

Instead of tightening control during a crisis, CEO Jada McKenna deliberately handed off critical decisions to team members who weren't as involved in the initial trauma of layoffs. This strategy diffused leadership away from the most exhausted executives, giving them a needed break and preventing deeper burnout.

CEOs often complain about team failures or external factors. However, they are the ones who hire, set the culture of accountability, and build resilient systems. Accepting that you are the root cause of all problems is empowering because it means you also hold the power for all solutions.

The title "CEO" is misleading. A founder's real job is to be a firefighter, constantly on call to handle unexpected crises, from employee emergencies to losing major clients. This mindset shift from strategic leader to crisis manager better reflects the reality of entrepreneurship and its inherent volatility.

When facing an existential business threat, the most effective response is to suppress emotional panic and adopt a calm, methodical mindset, like a pilot running through an emergency checklist. This allows for clear, logical decision-making when stakes are highest and prevents paralysis from fear.

True leadership is revealed not during prosperity but adversity. A “wartime general” absorbs pressure from difficult clients or situations, creating a safe environment for their team. They don't pass down fear, which distinguishes them from “peacetime generals” who only thrive when things are good.