Richard CanfieldPodcast Host and IBC Advisor, Ascendant Financial · Authorized Infinite Banking Practitioner | Author of 4 Books

Why Great Leaders Still Choke Under Pressure #psychology #work

19 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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Even strong leaders choke under pressure when personal stress drains their mental bandwidth. A sick pet or bad sleep can spill into a board meeting. Quick self-checks before high-stakes moments help you spot hidden stressors and perform better.

Chapters

So let's say I'm about to lead a board meeting, but I also had an argument with a loved one. I'm about to leave on vacation and my dog is sick. All of those things are in your brain, eating away at bandwidth, creating emotions, having their own things going on. And that affects the person that shows up to lead that board meeting. So what else is in my universe? And the P is for your physiology. Physiology. So things like genetic predispositions and so you know, how did you sleep? And so allowing you to do a quick check of those factors in those pressure situations or maybe before you enter high pressure situations, that allows you to get a better sense of self awareness.