How to Lead When Everything Goes Sideways

Today starts out like any other workday. You get ready, grab your cup of coffee, and make your way to your office. You already know what you're prioritizing for the day and how you'll fill the remaining hours. You've been in this role long enough to know exactly what to expect…until something completely unexpected happens and it's on you to fix it. Sometimes it's something small you overlooked that came back to haunt you, or something a team member or vendor failed to catch on their end. Either way, right now there is a BIG issue, and all eyes are on you. Then you feel it: dread, disappointment, and of course, stress.

Submitted for the consideration of the Midday Society

How to lead when everything goes sideways

As Murphy’s Law states “Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. Even the most well-prepared, type-A, Virgo-energy individual will face tribulations that can upend the workday and require all hands on deck. When that moment hits, it truly tests a person's grit. The reality is, the only way to get past it is to get through it.

For newer employees, these situations can be jarring and cause paralysis. Even seasoned veterans can react emotionally, resorting to raised voices and immediately shifting to blame. The main focus, however, needs to be fact-finding and moving swiftly toward solutions. Don't get distracted by who did what. 

First, diagnose the issue clearly and outline a plan of action for a quick and effective resolution.

Second, communicate and then over-communicate. 

• Share the steps being taken and provide frequent updates along the way. 
• In these moments, time passes very slowly for everyone involved, especially leadership. Keeping them, informed helps control the narrative and eliminates the creeping thought of, "Are they taking this seriously enough?" 
• A timely update, even a brief one, goes a long way.

Lastly, begin consolidating progress updates and work with your organizational lead to deliver a clear status report, one that outlines what happened, what was done, and what improvements will be made to prevent it from happening again. 

• Ultimately, companies want to feel that the situation is being handled with urgency and ownership. 
• These high-pressure moments can actually be an opportunity to step up and demonstrate that you are someone who can be counted on when things get hard or unpredictable.

The most important thing to remember is this — please hear it: these things happen. It is inevitable that something, big or small, will go wrong at some point. Mistakes are part of the journey, and we grow through them. Every mistake, every issue, every problem has been a painful lesson that ultimately made me better. I hate learning this way because it’s emotionally taxing but I can’t deny how it’s made me so much better. Don't let it define you — let it help you grow.