Anyone can lead when the plan works. Watch who speaks up when the tent floods at 2 a.m.

Competence in good conditions is nearly indistinguishable from confidence. The useful information arrives when the plan is gone, everybody is tired and uncomfortable, and somebody has to say the next sentence out loud. Whoever does that is not necessarily the most qualified person there, just the one willing to be responsible while it is unpleasant.

Watch who steps forward the next time something goes wrong near you, and notice whether it is you. You do not need a solution to begin, only the first instruction and a steady voice. Saying what happens next is most of it.