In a storm, people look at the captain’s face before they look at the sky.

When things get bad, people check the person in charge to find out how bad it really is. Your expression is data to them whether or not you meant it that way. That does not mean pretending nothing is wrong, since false calm is easy to spot and it costs trust. It means being honest about the situation and steady about the response.

In the next moment that goes sideways, mind your face and your voice before your words. Say what is true and then what the next step is, in that order. Falling apart privately afterwards is allowed and often necessary.