In every career, there are moments that define you as a leader. For me, those moments often came during times of intense pressure—when the client was upset, the project was on the line, and the team was running on fumes. Looking back, I realize those situations weren’t just about fixing technical issues or meeting deadlines; they were about how you show up as a leader when your team needs you most.
Lesson One: Standing Up for the Most Junior Team Member
I still remember my very first work term during my undergrad. I was just an intern, learning the ropes and watching how professionals handled complex client situations. One day, a fellow intern—just as junior as I was—was trying to help a client with a software issue. The problem wasn’t his fault, but the client unleashed their frustration on him. He handled it with grace, but when the client hung up, you could see the toll it had taken.
Then something incredible happened. Our vice president found out about it. She picked up the phone, called the client directly, and told him that if he wasn’t willing to call back and apologize to our intern, we’d walk away from the relationship. I was floored. Here was a VP, risking a client relationship to protect the dignity of a junior employee. The message was clear: we don’t allow abuse, no matter who it comes from.
That day, I learned a lesson that stuck with me: leadership isn’t about pleasing clients at all costs. It’s about protecting your people and giving them the confidence to perform at their best—even under pressure.
Lesson Two: When the The Client’s Exec Intervened “Too Strongly”
Fast forward two decades, and I found myself delivering a project for one of the most high-profile clients imaginable: the deputy governor of a central bank. It was a project with enormous political visibility—the president himself was about to announce the launch. Expectations were sky-high, and to make matters worse, the market demanded even more than the deputy governor himself wanted.
The launch was rocky. Due to overwhelming demand, the sign-up process began slow to a crawl. Suddenly, we had directors of the central bank on calls—most with no IT experience—shouting instructions. The stress was palpable. My team had been awake for over 24 hours, running on adrenaline and coffee. Morale was crumbling.
And then the high-ranking central banker joined the call. He started yelling at my team over a Zoom call. Loud, unproductive, and demoralizing. I knew in that moment I had a choice: let my exhausted team absorb the brunt of it, or step in.
I interrupted him. I told my team to drop off the call and join me in a private Zoom. The deputy governor was speechless. But it was exactly what we needed. I called in our CEO too. Once in our private space, my team could breathe, reset, and refocus on solving the problem instead of defending themselves. That tough call wasn’t about disrespecting the client—it was about giving my team the protection they needed to succeed. (A few months later, when the stress was gone, the client and I joked about the intense moment that got a little out of hand.)
The Leadership Thread
These two stories—one as a wide-eyed intern, and another as a project lead under fire—are connected by the same principle: protect your team first. Clients are critical, but they aren’t everything. Without a motivated, respected, and supported team, you can’t deliver outcomes that last.
In consulting, tech delivery, or any high-pressure environment, leadership is tested not when everything goes smoothly, but when the storm hits. And when it does, your team watches closely. Will you let them take the heat? Or will you step in, even if it costs you politically?
I’ve never forgotten what that VP showed me years ago. And when it was my turn, in front of the central bank deputy governor, I knew exactly what I had to do.
