What to do when calm is no longer optional.

Crises don't start with explosions. They start with silence. A partner stops showing up. A meeting drags without purpose. A resignation no one saw coming. Then suddenly, the leadership boat tips and no one's holding the wheel.

Most firms don't call it a crisis. They say it's a tough patch. What they mean is: trust is thinning, communication is breaking, and leadership’s losing grip.

That’s why we built the Overboard Protocol.

Why You Don’t See It Coming

The slow slide into trouble is invisible by design. Our brains flag big shifts. They miss the slow leaks. We normalise tension. Prefer the devil we know. Tell ourselves it’ll blow over.

By the time you admit there’s a problem, you’re six months late. And now you’re making bad calls to dodge what you refused to confront earlier. Behavioural economics calls it "preference reversal." We just call it denial.

The Real Source of Trouble

Most firms waste time on optics. Press releases. PR hacks. The symptoms. But crises start underneath. With behaviour, emotion, avoidance. By the time it explodes, the root cause has been growing for months.

That’s why we go straight to the source.

The Overboard Protocol resets leadership when everything’s off course. Not with spin. With structure.

The Five Phases of the Overboard Protocol

1. Throw the Lifeline

Start with triage. Quiet, one-on-one consults. Not to gather facts but to lower defences. Vulnerability vanishes fast when things go sideways. Our job is to get it back.

People open up privately. Not in rooms full of tension. We map emotional damage alongside operational issues. We don’t just ask, "What’s broken?" We ask, "Where does it hurt?" Then we create one thing most teams have lost: perceived control. It calms the system.

2. Bail the Water

You won’t fix the big stuff first. Start small, for public, visible wins. People need proof that control is possible. Quick confidence. We call these "signal actions."

We set temporary decision structures. Not for optics but for function. If trust is broken, process steps in. Rules become scaffolding. It gives the team something to lean on while trust rebuilds.

3. Unravel the Undercurrents

The surface problem is rarely the real one. Disputes about strategy are often about status. Conflicts over pricing are fights for recognition.

We use our Unravelling Map to expose what’s not being said. We translate boardroom speak into real talk. What looks like indecision might be learned helplessness. What sounds like strategy might be personal resentment.

Get under it or stay stuck.

4. Chart a New Course

Now we build the system around the reality, not the ideal. People won’t act differently because a chart says so. They act differently when the environment makes it feel natural.

We design decision flows that align with how people truly think. Set roles that reflect how trust operates. Create context cues. The subtle signals that tell the brain, "this is the money talk," or "this is the people problem."

Example: one firm held financial discussions in one room, cultural issues in another. That shift alone reduced cross-contamination of anxiety.

5. Reboard and Reinforce

Change doesn’t stick because people understand it. It sticks because the environment supports it. We embed rituals, rhythms, and reminders.

Check-ins aren’t just meetings. They’re pressure valves. If done right, they reveal issues before they become disasters.

We build relapse detectors. Simple systems, that make it easier to raise a flag early. That’s how you stay on course.

Calm Is the Real Power Move

Firms will throw cash at chaos. But ask them to spend the same on prevention? Cue the budget dance. It’s a perception problem. Calm doesn’t feel urgent until it’s gone.

Here’s the punchline: perceived control is real control. Leaders with agency make better decisions. Stress drops. Focus sharpens. Execution improves. That’s neuroscience, not a pep talk.

Microshifts, Macro Impact

Small changes shift culture. Where people sit. How rooms are used. Who opens a meeting. These cues send signals. People respond well before they realise they’ve noticed.

One toxic exec pairing? They didn’t mediate. They just moved seats. They stopped fighting. It didn’t solve everything, but it changed the context. Which changed the tone.

Overboard Moment: Three Partners, No Trust

A recent firm had three partners. One ghosted. The others sniped. Strategy talks were code for "I don’t respect you."

We stepped in with silent triage. One-on-ones. Emotional maps. Then, a shared workshop. It wasn’t to fix the firm, but to fix how they saw each other.

One rule was introduced. Before discussing any decision, say one thing you value in the others’ contribution. Forced? Sure. But it worked. Respect reset the tone. Decisions flowed again. Within three weeks, revenue forecasts lifted and not because the market shifted, but because the gridlock cleared.

Calm wasn’t cosmetic. It made money.

The Real Use of a Crisis

Crises are the only time people are willing to change. That’s the window. If you miss it, you’re back to business as usual. Not much good if the usual wasn’t working.

Don’t wait for the explosion. Watch for friction. If decisions drag, if people side-channel, if meetings feel like landmines then you’re already off course.

And if everything takes twice as long? That’s your early warning.

Final Word: This Isn’t Panic. It’s Progress.

The Overboard Protocol doesn’t start with spin. It starts with truth. Quietly. Privately. With structure, not noise.

You don’t need the loudest plan. You need the clearest one.

When the ship goes over, someone must own the calm. That’s where we begin.

Want to see it in action? Book a 45-minute Calm Consult.