When everything goes sideways, be the one who stays level. People will follow the steady one.

Panic is contagious and so is calm, and in a bad moment a group will synchronize with whoever is steadiest. That person is rarely the most senior or the most knowledgeable; they are simply the one whose voice did not change. Steadiness is not the absence of fear, it is fear that has been given no authority over your speech.

When something goes wrong, slow your own speech down before you say anything useful. Ask a question, name the next single step, keep your hands still. The room will take its temperature from you, which is more responsibility and more power than it sounds.