Leading In The Pressure Cooker

In late fall of 1985, I experienced my first leadership course in the military. I say experienced deliberately — because it wasn’t a class, but a long standing memory.

Actually, it was a five-day selection course. Only the top candidates progressed to the next stage which was a 4 month "pre-leadership" course

By Day 3, a few had quit.
Most of us were still upright — barely.
We were operating in a constant deficit.
Sleep. Energy. Time. Food. Certainty.
Running. Pushups. Planks. Constant invitations to quit. Chin-ups. Stairs. More running.
All layered over leadership theory, instructional technique, assessed classroom practicums, and continuous evaluation.

Late that morning, we were inside the drill hall with the temperature cranked up to like 90, running in a large circle. No voices, no cadence, just the rhythmic pounding of boots hitting the floor.
At the centre stood a member of the directing staff — clipboard, red pen, standing at attention, a constant frown on his face

Ten minutes in, he called my name.
I broke from formation, double-timed to the centre, reported in, and jogged on the spot — drenched in sweat, legs burning, heart racing.
Without raising his voice, he asked:
“What is the maximum effective range of the M72 short-range anti-armour weapon?”
- Fatigue.
- Noise.
- My heart pounding
- Cognitive overload.
- Fun meter at -1

I answered.
Silence. The scratch of a pen on the clipboard.
Then: “Get back in formation.”

I was correct.
The next candidate wasn’t — and paid for it in pushups.

That moment wasn’t an anomaly.
It was the pattern.
❗ Physical exhaustion
❗ Sudden questions
❗ Stimulus from every direction
❗ Abrupt changes
❗ No warning
❗ No margin for error

👉 The point wasn’t whether I could answer the question correctly.
👉 It was whether my ability to think, my judgment, and communication still functioned under extreme stress.

🐺 Leadership isn’t proven at the corporate retreat or from the safety of a leather chair.
🐺 It’s evaluated when your preparation (or the lack of it), what you think you know, and a good old fashioned crisis intersect when you least expect it.