“At some point, everything is going to go south on you. It’s space, it does not cooperate…and you can either accept your fate or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You solve one problem. Then you solve the next one, and the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.” – Mark Watney, The Martian

The character Mark Watney’s words are a masterclass in resilience and adaptability. The reality is, no matter how carefully we plan, things will go wrong. The question isn’t if you’ll face challenges – it’s how you’ll respond when you do. Will you let obstacles paralyse you, or will you break them down, tackle them one at a time and move forward?

For today’s leaders, the ability to pivot is just as important as having a strategy in the first place. Plans are necessary, but rigid adherence to them can be a liability. The most successful leaders don’t just prepare for Plan A, they build the mindset and systems to adapt when reality throws them a curveball.

Plans fail – and that’s OK

There’s a military saying: “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” Yet, many business leaders still operate under the illusion that if they plan thoroughly enough, they can eliminate uncertainty. But even a plan with a 95% chance of success still carries a 1-in-20 chance of failure. Ignoring that reality sets leaders up for a fall.

The key isn’t avoiding failure, it’s being prepared to respond effectively when things go wrong. The best leaders know how to maintain structure while staying flexible.

Leaders who overestimate their abilities are more prone to taking unnecessary risks, driven by the belief that they can manage any challenge that arises. In their article for the American Psychological Association – The Trouble with Overcompetence – Don A Moore and Paul J Healy talked about how overconfidence can cloud judgment and result in poor decision-making. This rigid self-assurance can prompt excessive risk-taking, potentially leading to costly mistakes and a demoralised team environment.

Recognising pressure and managing it

When things go wrong, our natural reactions – fight, flight or freeze – can sabotage our ability to make clear decisions. Under pressure, some leaders become controlling and micromanage, while others avoid making decisions altogether – they simply freeze, unable to act at all. 

The best leaders recognise these tendencies in themselves and their teams and put strategies in place to counteract them. Consider how NASA and airline pilots handle crises. They rely on structured protocols that prevent panic-driven mistakes. In effect, they revert to simple processes to make and execute effective decisions. The same applies to elite athletes – England’s 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning team followed the mantra T-CUP (Thinking Correctly Under Pressure) to maintain composure in what was a high-stakes situation.

A useful tool in these moments is the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), a decision-making framework that helps leaders process rapidly changing circumstances. It encourages leaders to separate raw facts from assumptions, making it critical to seek diverse perspectives before making decisions.

Another key habit of great leaders is creating time for strategic thinking. Many people equate busyness with productivity, but research shows top CEOs dedicate significant time to reflection and critical thinking. Making space to step back and analyse problems leads to better decision-making and long-term success.

The cost of failing to adapt

History is filled with companies that failed because they refused to evolve. Nokia and Blackberry lost their dominance in the smartphone industry because they clung to outdated strategies. Blockbuster ignored the shift to digital streaming and collapsed as a result. Even the Titanic’s tragic fate was partially due to overconfidence and a failure to adjust course in time.

The lesson is clear. Adaptability isn’t a luxury, it’s essential. If leaders aren’t comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and adjusting as they go, they’re setting themselves and their teams up for failure.

One way to prepare for uncertainty is to conduct a ‘pre-mortem’ before making major decisions. Ask questions like:

• what’s the worst that could happen?
• how would we respond if this went wrong?
• what warning signs should we watch for?
• what assumptions are we making, and what if they’re wrong?

Equally important is the post-mortem – analysing decisions after the fact to identify missed opportunities and areas for improvement. Leaders who make reflection a regular practice build more resilient teams and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Open lines of communication

The old command-and-control leadership style is becoming obsolete. Today’s best leaders understand the power of collaboration and transparency. Instead of hoarding decision-making power, they enable their teams by encouraging open communication and sharing information freely.

One of the most critical shifts leaders can make is promoting open dialogue. Employees must feel safe to voice concerns, challenge assumptions and propose solutions without fear of backlash. The best ideas often come from unexpected places, but only if there’s a culture that allows them to surface. 

Understanding how you and those around you respond to stress is another crucial skill. Leaders who recognise their emotional triggers and manage them effectively set the tone for their teams. As another military saying goes: “Officers don’t run – it panics the troops.” In a crisis, leaders must maintain composure, communicate clearly and make space for rational decision-making.

Crises don’t require panic; they require clear thinking and strategic action. The best leaders aren’t the ones who never face setbacks, they’re the ones who remain adaptable and tackle challenges one step at a time. Just like Mark Watney in The Martian, they know that success isn’t about avoiding problems, it’s about solving them, one by one, until they finally reach home.

A version of this blog was published by HR Director here