The Night Shift Standing Ovation

Too many leaders get all the technical training in the world—yet receive almost no real preparation for leading people. Nowhere is that clearer than in high-pressure environments like 911 emergency management centers.

Recently, I was facilitating a leadership clarity retreat with a group of supervisors at a 911 center. These dedicated professionals are experts at routing emergency calls and managing crises using sophisticated systems. Every day they navigate through crisis and tragedy.  

But when it came to navigating human behavior? No one had ever taught them.

They were in the middle of a major transition: moving operations to a backup center with fewer capabilities. Understandably, people were stressed, frustrated and resistant to change.

One dispatcher in particular had become the mouthpiece for all that negativity. Every shift, she complained loudly about how much she hated the job. She criticized every decision. spreading resentment like wildfire.

Morale was tanking.

The supervisor confided that she simply didn’t know how to manage this energy. She’d been trained on systems and protocols—but not conversations like these. We spent time together in the retreat, working through practical ways to name what she was observing, set clear expectations, and hold people accountable without drama. That night, she took a courageous step.

Courage in Action

The supervisor began the night shift with a quick huddle and a direct conversation, using one of the skills I teach in The Performance Coaching Model.

“I’ve observed a lot of negativity, and complaining about the changes. Tonight, we’re going to stop that pattern. We’ll focus forward. We’ll get the job done and stay professional in our language and behavior. No more complaining.”

She was clear. Direct. Respectful. (Of course, it didn’t take long for the resistant employee to test her resolve.) Minutes later, the same dispatcher started complaining loudly and criticizing management.

This time, the supervisor didn’t look away or hope it would die down on its own. She pulled her aside privately and said:

“Did you not understand the assignment tonight? I said no criticizing, no complaining, and no negativity.”

The dispatcher snapped back: “Well, I’m going to be me. You’re not going to change my personality.”

Without missing a beat, the supervisor replied:

“Then you need to be you, on your own time.”

The dispatcher threatened:

“Maybe I should just clock out.”

“I think so,” said the supervisor.

So, the employee gathered her belongings and left.

What happened next?

The entire team stood up and clapped. This supervisor got a standing ovation; not for cruelty and not for punishment. For leading with courage, and for saying, “This is how we do things here.”

Four Principles of Courageous Leadership

You can take all the measurements you want. You can run employee engagement surveys. You can write white papers, analyze turnover data and even win awards. But the real proof of leadership confidence and competence is in the courageous actions leaders take to align the team. Here are four principles of leadership courage.

1. The one with clarity navigates the ship.

2. People do what they do because it works for them.

3. If leadership is about anything it's about alignment. (Alignment is about focusing energy.)

4. Clarity can change any situation.

Your people want you to lead. They’re waiting for you to say what needs to be said. To hold the standard. To protect the mission—and them—from the corrosive effects of unchecked negativity. You just have to learn some skills and step outside of your comfort zone. That takes courage.

 A Leadership Reflection

If you’re a leader reading this, I have a few questions for you:

✅ Where might you be tolerating negativity because it’s uncomfortable to confront?

✅ Where do you need to be clearer about expectations?

✅ How can you name the patterns you see—without blame or shame—but with resolve?

✅ How can you focus your team’s energy on what matters most?

Leadership isn’t about controlling personalities, it's about aligning behavior to the mission, and sometimes it’s about having the courage to say: “You’re free to be you. But if being you includes disrespect, negativity and complaining then, you can't be you on this shift and not on this team. You see, behavior IS part of performance, no matter what your job or your role.

 Marlene Chism is a consultant, speaker, and the author of   From Conflict to Courage: How to Stop Avoiding and Start Leading (Berrett-Koehler 2022). She is a recognized expert on the LinkedIn Global Learning platform. Connect with Chism via LinkedIn, or at MarleneChism.com