How to Stay Calm Under Pressure: Leadership Lessons From a Lizard

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How to Stay Calm Under Pressure: Leadership Lessons From a Lizard

This past Friday, I was standing calmly at the back of our school assembly.

It was my first day back after being home sick for several days, and I was running on fumes.

The presenter walked toward me with a three-foot prehistoric predator in his arms.

I thought, “Wow, that’s a brave man.”

Now, for context, I’m not afraid of hard conversations, but snakes, spiders, or lizards?

That’s a hard pass.

Just as he walked past, in the blink of an eye, the lizard launched itself toward me, and freedom.

For several long seconds, it was pure chaos, and a whirlwind of claws, teeth, and tail.

I was doing everything in my power not to leap onto the nearest bleacher.

The handler wrestled the lizard back under control.

I wrestled my face into what I hoped was a calm, composed expression, because 200 students were watching their principal nearly lose it over a reptile.

I can laugh about it now (a little). But in the moment, my heart was in my throat, and I was feeling like I was in “fight or flight.”

I certainly didn’t feel composed.

Leadership is filled with moments like this: unexpected, unscripted, and messy.

Even when everything’s flying out of control — sometimes literally — being calm means doing my best to choose composure anyway.

Every leader has their own “leaping lizard” moments, those sudden jolts that remind us to take a deep breath and reset.

But there’s a difference between leaders who inspire and those who just survive.

Ruckus Makers know how to capture these moments and turn them into stories that build trust and influence.

That's a skill that can be learned.

That’s exactly what I’m mastering in Danny’s storytelling program, The Influence Engine — how to turn those unpredictable, real-life moments into stories that connect, teach, and inspire.

If you want to learn how to turn your everyday upsets into inspirational leadership lessons, The Influence Engine is live now. You can catch the last two replays and join us for the last four live sessions here.

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How to Stay Composed When Chaos Hits

Whether it’s a lizard flying loose or a tough parent meeting, composure under pressure is a learnable skill. Try this simple 5-second reset when things go sideways:

1. Pause before reacting. Notice what’s happening and quietly name it (“Chaos is here”).

2. Inhale/exhale, slowly. A long, purposeful inhale through the nose followed by an exhale through the mouth tells your nervous system you’re safe.

3. Ground yourself. Feel your feet feel the floor, unclench your jaw, and roll your shoulders forward a few times, then back a few times.

4. Choose your next move. Calm doesn’t mean doing nothing. Instead of reacting, you’re ready to respond.

When you can keep your cool in a gym full of gasping kids (and one very active lizard), you can handle just about anything a school day throws your way.

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