#hbr

Today’s leaders face increasing pressure on all sides, and their stress levels are higher now than they were even at the peak of the pandemic. Though stress can sharpen performance briefly, over time it erodes judgment, narrows perspective, and increases the risk of costly missteps. Most leaders have distinct default responses to it. This article outlines the six most common patterns: the calm lighthouse, the reinvention-oriented alchemist, the action-driven firefighter, the disciplined stoic, the relationship-focused diplomat, and the control-driven container. Each style has both strengths and blind spots that pressure can amplify. Leaders can increase their ability to perform under duress by identifying and understanding their default responses and then deliberately expanding their range of reactions—using simple tactics to regulate themselves, share the cognitive load, and alter their style in real time as conditions change.

In periods of rapid change, the teams that outperform everyone else are not those with the best plans or the most talent but those that learn the fastest. Research across thousands of teams reveals a consistent pattern: High-performing teams—“superteams”—build cultures of continuous improvement. Their leaders encourage experimentation even when things are going well, make curiosity and intellectual humility contagious, surface problems early, stay close to the work, give feedback that supports learning rather than punishing mistakes, and invest in people’s growth even when it doesn’t pay off immediately. When work is tied to shared meaning and progress matters more than perfection, teams become more resilient, adaptable, and capable of sustained success—in business settings and beyond.

Leaders are making a choice with their AI strategy: Are they primarily seeking to improve the bottom line through automation and headcount reduction, or grow the top line in innovative ways through augmentation? As they make this decision, leaders are underestimating how employee perception—and the predictable behavioral dynamics that follow—will determine the success of their AI strategy. While automation strategies will likely show early gains relative to the deeper investment required for augmentation, but that augmentation will likely perform better in the long run. That’s because while automation offers immediate cost-savings, a company’s long-term success is determined by how people feel about their work, whether they meaningfully engage with new tools, and whether top talent stays.