Calm, Courage, and Command: The Human Side of High-Stakes Leadership

Описание: In this People First! episode, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karen Gibson pulls back the curtain on what leadership really requires when the stakes are sky-high, the information is incomplete, and the whole world is watching.

Karen spent 33 years in the U.S. Army, leading thousands across Iraq, Korea, Afghanistan, East Africa, and the Middle East. After retiring as a three-star general, she became the Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate, charged with rebuilding security and trust after the January 6 attack. Today, she advises global financial institutions on geopolitical risk and crisis leadership.

This conversation is a masterclass in steady leadership under pressure — not the Hollywood kind, but the human kind.

⭐️ In this episode, Karen shares:
•Why every crisis is fundamentally a human problem, not a technical one
•The tenets she uses to lead through uncertainty (including recognizing the crisis, triaging priorities, and communicating early—even without all the facts)
•How leaders can make decisions when there is no perfect answer
•The emotional aftermath of crisis — and why most leaders forget to address it
•The role of authenticity and vulnerability in maintaining trust
•Why “choosing the hard right over the easy wrong” becomes easier with practice

Whether you’re leading through market volatility, organizational change, or simply a tough week, Karen’s insights will make you rethink what command really looks like — and remind you why people, not process, are always at the center.

📌 Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:12 – Karen’s origin story & leadership philosophy
09:47 – What high-stakes leadership actually looks like
18:30 – The ten tenets of crisis leadership
29:40 – Leading the emotional aftermath
37:55 – What leaders can do today to prepare for uncertainty
44:10 – Where to find Karen