Leadership under strain: why containment, not control, drives performance

By Dr. Toye Sobande · First published in BusinessDay, 30 January 2026

Every leader faces moments of acute pressure. What matters, Dr. Sobande argues, is what they do with it: contain the anxiety so the team can keep thinking clearly, or transmit it downward through tighter and tighter control.

The argument

Teams read a leader’s mood long before any instruction is given. Leaders who respond to strain with heavy monitoring and control signal distrust, which narrows thinking, discourages early warnings and silences dissent precisely when they are most needed.

Containment is an active discipline. It means absorbing urgency without dramatising it and separating the genuine demands of the role from personal stress. The psychological safety of a team, in this view, is largely a reflection of how well its leader regulates their own emotions.

Key takeaways

• A leader’s unspoken mood sets the tone in tense moments.
• Excessive control under pressure reads as distrust and reduces candour.
• Containment means absorbing urgency without amplifying it.
• Team psychological safety mirrors the leader’s self-regulation.
• Diagnose yourself: does bad news reach you early, and do people move toward you or away?

“Leadership that steadies others is a choice.”

Dr. Toye Sobande

A question to take away

In your last high-pressure week, did your team become calmer or more anxious around you?