WHEN "THEY" WANT THE FIRE ALARM TO GO OFF

One of my clients had a security audit done on his software, using one of his friends as a consultant. The consultant came back with a serious concern—a glaring vulnerability. The kind of thing that could maybe trigger a lawsuit or a full on system failure.

My client’s response?

“Okay, thanks for bringing this up. We'll have to address this immediately. How's the fam doing?”

The consultant stared at him, baffled—and then angry. “Why aren’t you taking this seriously?!”

But here’s the thing: he was.

When solving problems in business, there are two parrallel workstreams that come up every time a major problem comes up:

1. Solving the problem.
2. Your reaction to the problem.

Most of us conflate the two. The moment something goes wrong, the brain fires up its internal doomsday committee:

• Is this the end?
• Will my team bail?
• What if we run out of cash?
• Are we about to get sued?
• Am I a fraud?

It’s natural. But it’s noise. And actually distracting.

What separates seasoned leaders from scattered ones is that they don’t chase those questions. They don’t spiral. They simply act, even if there's noise trying to distract them.

And my client responded:
“If I got rattled every time something went sideways, I’d never get out of bed. I'm texting my lawyer now, and I’ve got a meeting with our CTO in half an hour."

That’s leadership. Not because it’s cold. But because it’s clear. The emotional flailing doesn’t make you more responsible. It makes you less effective.

Reacting with calm doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means you care enough to stay effective.

So the next time something blows up—and it will—try asking a different question:
​What would the effective CEO version of me do next?

LEADERSHIP IS LEARNED​
You’re not supposed to know how to do this naturally. The best leaders aren’t the most reactive—they’re the most ready.

I’ve got two open spots in my coaching roster. I’m offering one complimentary session to any founder—yes, even if we’ve worked together before.

Just reply with: “Yes!” Also would love to catch up with any of you!
Or forward this to a founder friend and CC me. If I can help, I will.

Emailed forwarded to you? Want to read more?
No SPAM ever; Unsubscribe at any time.

​