If Everything is a Crisis, Nothing is a Crisis | Ep. 75 | The Science of Leadership

Описание: In this episode of The Science of Leadership, host Tom Collins welcomes back retired U.S. Navy Admiral Scott Swift, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Together, they tackle a fundamental leadership failure: the tendency to treat every operational hiccup as a five-alarm fire. Admiral Swift shares his "don't run, it startles the horses" philosophy, arguing that leaders who thrive on constant firefighting ultimately fail to build sustainable, strategic organizations.

The conversation explores the difference between being a first responder and a strategic leader, emphasizing that true leadership investment must be focused on long-term trajectory rather than day-to-day turbulence.

Key topics include:
🔸The Firefighter Trap: Why organizations that focus solely on crisis response eventually lose the ability to focus on fire prevention.

🔸The "Why, How, and What": A framework for moving beyond immediate incidents to identify systemic failures.

🔸Delegation vs. Responsibility: The critical need to delegate authority down while the leader retains ultimate responsibility.

🔸The Science of Stress: How chronic "crisis mode" elevates cortisol, reduces cognitive flexibility, and leads to team burnout.

🔸Signal to Noise Ratio: Protecting your team's attention and emotion by maintaining a calm, methodical presence.

🔸The Eisenhower Matrix: Using the "urgent vs. important" framework to categorize issues and prevent organizational "brain lock".


"It is so easy to judge because it is so hard to understand." Learn how to step out of the "crisis corner" and start leading with the foresight and composure required for elite operational success.

📘 Also, I want to remind viewers about the release of my book, "The Four Stars of Leadership," a culmination of over three years of dedicated work, and I'm confident it will be an immensely interesting and helpful guide on your journey to becoming a better leader. Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon (https://a.co/d/hoLqz1g) or Barnes & Nobles (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...) and share your thoughts with me!

Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader:

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References
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Bligh, M. C., Kohles, J. C., & Meindl, J. R. (2004).
Charisma under crisis: Presidential leadership, rhetoric, and media responses before and after the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(2), 211–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2004...

McEwen, B. S. (2006).
Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators: The good and bad sides of the stress response. Metabolism, 55(2), S20–S23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.200...

Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007).
Managing the unexpected: Resilient performance in an age of uncertainty (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.