How to Handle High-Pressure Situations Like a Pro

Just 24 hours before our multi-million euro public tender was due, legal slammed the brakes.

They'd previously approved the process months earlier. Now? They had "serious reservations" about the contract wording, criteria, and eligibility rules. Postponing would delay the entire project by months and burn through millions.

My team looked at me, expecting panic. I took a breath.

"Let's break this down. One issue at a time."

We formed rapid-response group. Worked late into the evening. Sent hundreds of pages of risk assessments, references, and precedents.

Legal still hesitated.

So I escalated—calmly. Not with complaints, but with strategy: "Here are the risks. Here's our mitigation. And here's the business cost of delay."

Leadership signed off.

We got a green light on schedule.

No legal issues ever materialized.

Why You Freeze Under Pressure

Pressure isn't just nerves. It's a biological shutdown.

When you feel threatened—socially, financially, or emotionally—your body floods with cortisol and adrenaline. That shuts down the prefrontal cortex (your decision-maker) and shrinks working memory.

Here's what happens: