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Listen to this week’s podcast episode, Ep.231: Between the Danger and Your People; Leadership Presence, Caring and Leading through Stress, with Mark Andrew, click here to listen now.

People remember how leaders respond when stress rises, uncertainty grows, the heat of the moment takes over and perhaps especially when others are depending on them to stay calm and steady. In this week’s episode of Leading with Integrity, I spoke with Mark Andrew, retired Fire Captain, firefighter, paramedic and author of Leading Through the Heat. After decades spent working in emergency services, Mark brings a perspective on leadership shaped by direct experience leading in situations where uncertainty and responsibility are constant realities.

Maybe it’s because I see leadership lessons everywhere, but I was really stuck by how applicable Mark’s insights are far beyond the fire service and even beyond the stressful times. Although the environments and contexts may differ, many of the leadership pressures are surprisingly familiar. Teams still look for clarity during uncertainty, people still need trust and communication when situations become difficult and leaders still have to make decisions while managing both external pressure and their own internal responses.

Throughout the discussion, Mark reflected on the importance of leadership presence, emotional steadiness and genuine care for the people around you. Rather than focusing on dramatic leadership moments, although he certainly has a few of those stories too, he mainly spoke about the quieter behaviours that create trust over time and become especially important during periods of stress.

There’s a simple but powerful reality to takeaway from this episode: when pressure increases, people pay close attention not only to what leaders say, but to how they behave.

Mark described how, in emergency situations, people instinctively look toward leaders for cues about how serious a situation is and how they should respond. Long before detailed instructions are processed, people are observing tone, body language, emotional control, overall composure, words, actions, even facial expressions.

That principle applies just as strongly in organisational life.

In difficult moments, leaders communicate constantly through their presence. Teams notice whether a leader appears calm or reactive, focused or overwhelmed, available or emotionally absent, supportive or dismissive. These signals influence how safe and stable people feel, particularly when circumstances are uncertain.

What stood out in Mark’s reflections is that leadership presence isn’t about appearing perfect or emotionless; it’s not performance. It is the ability to remain grounded enough that others feel supported instead of destabilised by the leader’s reaction. This becomes especially important during stressful periods because uncertainty naturally increases anxiety. When leaders appear scattered or emotionally volatile, that anxiety spreads quickly throughout a team. People begin reacting emotionally instead of thinking clearly.

By contrast, leaders who maintain steadiness help create an environment where people can stay focused, communicate more effectively and make better decisions under pressure. That presence isn’t reserved for major crises but developed over time through repeated daily behaviour and simply becomes most visible when circumstances become difficult.

Mark spoke candidly about the responsibility leaders have toward the well-being of their people, particularly in demanding environments where stress can quietly accumulate over time. One of the recurring ideas throughout the discussion was that leadership is not only operational, it’s deeply relational.

People need to know that they matter beyond their output or performance.

This doesn’t mean leaders need to solve every personal challenge, remove all pressure from the workplace or take on personal responsibility for the happiness of others. But it does mean paying attention to people as human beings rather than treating them as purely functional roles inside a system.

Mark reflected on how trust is often built through relatively small interactions, taking time to check in, listening carefully when someone is struggling, noticing behavioural changes before problems escalate… These actions may seem minor individually, but collectively they shape whether people feel supported or isolated.

Most importantly, this kind of leadership presence can’t be manufactured at will during a crisis if it has been absent beforehand. Teams can usually tell whether care is genuine because it is reflected consistently over time, and this is where leadership becomes more than task management but about creating an environment where people feel respected, valued and psychologically supported enough to perform effectively under pressure.

Mark had some brilliant insight into how stress affects behaviour and decision-making that’s worth remembering if you’re leading a stressed team. Under pressure, people don’t always communicate clearly or behave predictably. As cognitive load increases, emotional responses intensify, patience decreases and even highly capable individuals can struggle to process information effectively when stress levels rise.

This is one reason leadership matters so much in demanding situations, leaders who understand the effects of stress are better equipped to respond constructively rather than reacting emotionally themselves (we’ve all done it!!). Instead of escalating tension, they can help regulate it.

Mark explained that calm leadership isn’t about removing pressure, but helping people function more effectively within it. Clear communication, simplicity, emotional control, trust, all become more important.

What often causes teams to deteriorate under stress isn’t so much the pressure itself but the way people interact with each other under that pressure.

Communication breaks down.

Frustration rises.

Assumptions replace clarity.

Tempers flare.

Again, we’ve probably all been in a stressful situation once or twice where this vicious cycle repeats.

Leaders play a significant role in interrupting that cycle: by staying composed and communicating clearly we can create the stability that allows teams to keep functioning even in difficult circumstances. This stability also creates trust because people feel that someone is helping hold the situation together rather than adding to the chaos.

In emergency services, trust can’t suddenly appear in the middle of a crisis. Teams rely on prior experience, consistency and confidence in one another’s behaviour. The same principle applies within businesses; when pressure rises, people fall back on what they already know about their leaders.

Do they communicate honestly? Do they stay consistent under stress? Do they take responsibility when things go wrong? Do they support people when circumstances become difficult?

These questions are often answered long before a crisis ever occurs. Mark spoke about the importance of consistency in leadership behaviour because consistency creates predictability and predictability creates trust. This is particularly important during uncertain periods when people most need a sense of stability. Leaders cannot always control external circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them.

That response shapes the emotional climate around the team. Trust isn’t about inspirational speeches, grand gestures, payrises or isolated ‘big’ moments, it’s in the repeated evidence that a leader can be relied upon.

Another important thread emerged from the chat is around self-awareness. Leaders often focus heavily on managing situations, but not enough on managing themselves within those situations. Yet the leader’s emotional state inevitably influences the people around them.

Mark emphasised the importance of recognising personal stress responses and understanding how those responses affect communication, decision-making and behaviour. Without this awareness, leaders unintentionally transfer anxiety, frustration, distrust or tension onto their teams.

Self-awareness creates space for intentional leadership, it allows leaders to pause before reacting impulsively. It helps us communicate more thoughtfully and it increases our ability to remain present for others even when we are under pressure ourselves.

This isn’t about suppressing emotions or pretending difficult situations are easy. It is about recognising that leadership carries emotional influence, intentional or not. The more aware leaders become of that influence, the more effectively they can support the people around them during demanding periods.

Although Mark’s experiences come from emergency services, the lessons apply far beyond crisis environments. In every organisation, people look to leaders for steadiness, clarity, reassurance when situations become difficult or uncertain. They pay attention to decisions, behaviour, tone and emotional presence.

What stood out throughout the discussion is that leadership during stressful moments is rarely about dramatic action. More often, it’s about consistency, composure, communication and genuine care for others.

These qualities don’t eliminate pressure, they shape how people experience it and how effectively teams move through it together. Ultimately, leadership is tested most clearly and needed most when circumstances are difficult.

And in those moments, what people need from their leaders isn’t perfection, it’s a presence they can trust.

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Listen to the full episode with Mark on your preferred podcast platform, find the links (or a web-player) here: https://smartlink.ausha.co/leading-with-integrity/ep-231-between-the-danger-and-your-people-leadership-presence-caring-and-leading-through-stress-with-mark-andrew

If you prefer video then you can watch on YouTube too: https://youtu.be/qNTzn5aybK4

Tune in again next week to learn about sticky systems and the leadership, management & business learnings of a career in senior management at McDonalds UK, with my next guest: Marianne Page.

I say this every week, and you might be tired of reading it, but I think it’s important to keep saying it anyway: THANK YOU for reading, for listening, for supporting Leading with Integrity. There’s no show, no newsletter, no future of leadership without each of you.

Be a Leader Not a Boss,

- David

In case you don’t know me that well, I’m David Hatch and I’m here for new managers and first-time founders working in tech or specialist driven teams to help with their leadership skills, so they can become leaders not bosses, lead with integrity, and build happier, higher performing teams, more effective organisations, and, ultimately: successful teams.

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