Leadership Under Pressure: The 7 Principles I Learned as a Lifeguard That Transform High-Performance Teams

“Being a lifeguard taught me that leadership isn’t about being the hero—it’s about creating the conditions where everyone can perform at their best and no one has to be rescued.” —Adam Markel

Your leadership effectiveness often comes down to principles learned not in boardrooms, but in high-stakes environments where clarity, preparation, and calm decision-making literally save lives. My years as a lifeguard provided lessons about high-performance leadership that have proven invaluable in helping organizations navigate complex challenges and achieve breakthrough results. In these situations, various leadership styles can significantly influence outcomes, as different approaches may be needed to address unique challenges.

The parallels between lifeguarding and organizational leadership are striking: both require constant vigilance, the ability to read situations quickly, decisive action when problems arise, and the wisdom to prevent crises before they occur. Good leaders demonstrate effective leadership behaviors, especially under pressure, by adapting their actions and responses to the needs of the moment. The leaders I’ve worked with at companies like Mars Wrigley and Thermofisher Scientific have found these lifeguard principles transformative for building high-performance teams.

So how do you approach leadership when the stakes are high?

Do you spend most of your time preventing problems or constantly putting out fires?

When a crisis hits, do you maintain clear thinking and decisive action, or do you feel overwhelmed by the pressure?

Are you positioned to see what’s coming before it becomes urgent, or are you always reacting to situations after they’ve escalated?

Do team members feel confident in your ability to guide them through challenges, or do they worry about your judgment under pressure?

When multiple issues demand attention simultaneously, can you prioritize effectively, or do you feel scattered and reactive?

If you’re recognizing patterns of reactive leadership rather than proactive guidance, you’re experiencing what many leaders face: the difference between managing crises and preventing them. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that high-performing leaders spend 60% more time on prevention and preparation compared to their lower-performing counterparts.

Most leaders find themselves shifting between these two modes as they gain experience and adapt their approach to different situations.

The truth is, effective leadership requires the same foundational principles whether you’re watching over swimmers or guiding a team through organizational challenges.

The 7 Essential Lifeguard Leadership Principles

These principles, learned from watching over thousands of people in potentially dangerous situations, translate directly into creating high-performance organizational cultures. They are especially valuable for individuals in leadership positions, as they help develop the skill sets necessary for effective leadership under pressure.

Principle 1: Elevated Perspective Creates Strategic Advantage

As a lifeguard, height provides the perspective needed to see developing situations before they become emergencies. In leadership, this means positioning yourself to maintain strategic overview rather than getting buried in operational details.

Leadership Application:

• Schedule regular “balcony time” to step back and observe organizational patterns
• Create systems that give you early warning indicators of potential problems
• Maintain relationships across the organization that provide diverse perspectives on what’s happening

Principle 2: Constant Scanning Prevents Crisis

Effective lifeguards don’t just watch one swimmer—they continuously scan their entire area of responsibility, looking for patterns and changes that indicate developing problems.

Leadership Application:

• Develop systematic ways to monitor team morale, project health, and organizational culture
• Create regular check-in processes that reveal issues before they become crises
• Train yourself to notice subtle changes in team dynamics, communication patterns, and performance indicators

Principle 3: Clear Communication Saves Lives

When action is needed, lifeguards use clear, direct communication that cuts through noise and confusion. There’s no time for ambiguity when safety is at stake.

Leadership Application:

• Develop your ability to communicate clear expectations and provide constructive feedback, ensuring that direction, goals, and standards are conveyed with precision and clarity
• Create communication protocols for different types of situations (routine updates, urgent issues, crisis management) that facilitate both clear expectations and constructive feedback
• Practice delivering difficult messages in ways that maintain relationships while ensuring understanding

Principle 4: Preparation Enables Peak Performance

Lifeguards maintain their skills, equipment, and physical condition constantly—not just when emergencies arise. Peak performance requires ongoing preparation, not last-minute cramming.

Leadership Application:

• Invest in continuous leadership development, not just crisis management training
• Build and maintain the systems, processes, and relationships you’ll need during challenging periods
• Develop your team’s capabilities during calm periods to support their personal growth as well as readiness for pressure

Principle 5: Quick Assessment Leads to Right Action

When someone is struggling in the water, lifeguards must quickly assess the severity of the situation and choose the appropriate level of response—from verbal guidance to direct rescue.

Leadership Application:

• Develop your ability to quickly diagnose organizational problems and match your response to the situation’s severity
• Create decision-making frameworks that clarify the decision-making process and help you choose between coaching, direct intervention, or systemic changes
• Practice escalating your response appropriately, rather than either under-reacting or over-reacting to challenges

Principle 6: Stay Calm to Keep Others Calm

A panicked lifeguard creates more danger, not less. Your emotional state directly impacts others’ ability to follow instructions and maintain their own composure.

Leadership Application:

• Develop stress regulation techniques (like the 3-4 breathing method) that help you maintain composure under pressure
• Practice emotional regulation skills so your calm presence helps others access their best thinking
• Model the behavior and mindset you want to see from your team during challenging situations

Principle 7: Prevention Is Always Better Than Rescue

The best lifeguards prevent drownings rather than rescue drowning swimmers. They create conditions where people can enjoy the water safely rather than waiting to respond to emergencies.

Leadership Application:

• Focus on creating organizational conditions that prevent problems rather than just solving them after they occur
• Invest time in building team capabilities, clear processes, and a healthy culture rather than just managing crises
• Develop early warning systems and preventive measures that address issues before they impact performance

How These Principles Transform Team Performance

When leaders apply these lifeguard principles systematically, the impact on team performance is dramatic:

Teams become more proactive because they see their leader modeling preventive thinking and strategic awareness rather than just reactive problem-solving. Team building activities and clear goal setting contribute to creating a high performing team by establishing trust, measurable objectives, and a collaborative culture.

Communication improves as clarity and directness become valued skills that everyone develops, leading to fewer misunderstandings and faster problem resolution.

Confidence increases when each team member’s contribution is valued, which supports team cohesion and performance. Seeing their leader maintain composure and make sound decisions under pressure enables team members to perform at higher levels during challenging periods.

Prevention becomes the norm as the organization develops systems and practices that address issues before they become crises, creating more sustainable high performance.

Implementing Lifeguard Leadership in Your Organization

Here’s how to systematically apply these principles to build high-performance leadership capacity. These principles not only support organizational change but also contribute to developing leaders at all levels within your organization:

Week 1-2: Establish Elevated Perspective

1. Schedule strategic observation time: Block 2-3 hours weekly for “balcony time” to observe organizational patterns without operational distractions
2. Create information flow systems: Establish regular touchpoints with key people across different levels and departments
3. Develop pattern recognition: Start noting recurring themes, issues, or opportunities that emerge from your elevated perspective

Week 3-4: Build Scanning Systems

1. Create monitoring dashboards: Develop ways to track team morale, project health, and organizational culture indicators
2. Establish check-in rhythms: Implement regular one-on-ones, team meetings, and cross-departmental updates that reveal developing issues
3. Train observation skills: Practice noticing subtle changes in communication, energy, and performance before they become obvious problems

Week 5-6: Enhance Communication Clarity

1. Audit your communication: Record or review recent communications to identify areas where clarity could be improved
2. Develop message frameworks: Create templates for different types of communication (feedback, expectations, crisis updates) that ensure clarity
3. Practice difficult conversations: Role-play challenging scenarios to improve your ability to communicate clearly under pressure, focusing on straight talk to ensure honest and effective communication

Week 7-8: Strengthen Preparation Practices

1. Assess readiness gaps: Identify areas where you or your team lack the preparation needed for likely challenges
2. Create development plans: Establish ongoing skill-building and system-building activities that enhance organizational readiness
3. Build scenario planning: Develop contingency plans for likely challenges so you’re prepared rather than reactive

Building a Lifeguard Leadership Culture

The most powerful application of these principles happens when they become part of your organizational culture rather than just individual practices. An open door policy can help embed these principles into the culture by encouraging open communication, making it easier for team members to share feedback and participate in decision-making. At the same time, strict adherence to agreed-upon standards and protocols is essential to maintain a high-performance culture.

Team Training on Lifeguard Principles

1. Share the framework: Teach your team these seven principles and help them understand how to apply them in their roles
2. Create practice opportunities: Design simulations or scenarios where team members can practice these principles in low-risk situations
3. Establish recognition systems: Acknowledge and celebrate when team members demonstrate proactive, preventive, and clear-thinking approaches

Organizational System Design

1. Early warning systems: Build organizational processes that provide the “elevated perspective” needed to spot developing issues
2. Communication protocols: Establish clear communication standards and processes that ensure critical information flows effectively
3. Prevention focus: Allocate time and resources to preventing problems rather than just solving them after they occur

How We Can Help Your Organization Develop Lifeguard Leadership

Building high-performance leadership requires more than good intentions—it demands systematic development of the principles and practices that enable peak performance under pressure. My know how as a leadership keynote speaker enables organizations to implement these changes effectively, drawing on practical experience and proven strategies. I’ve helped organizations across industries apply these lifeguard principles to create cultures of proactive excellence.

Are you ready to transform your leadership from reactive to proactive? Steve Jobs is a great example of a leader who demonstrated transformational leadership under pressure, inspiring innovation and excellence.

Is your team prepared to develop the preventive thinking and clear action that characterizes high-performance cultures? Some leadership approaches, like laissez-faire, involve giving a high degree of autonomy to team members, empowering them to take initiative and make decisions.

Start by assessing your current leadership effectiveness with my complimentary resilience assessment.

When you’re ready to systematically develop lifeguard leadership principles throughout your organization, let’s connect. My keynote presentations provide the frameworks and inspiration your team needs to build preventive, high-performance leadership.

Schedule a private consultation today to explore how lifeguard leadership principles can transform your organizational performance and resilience.