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Paul Sullivan on The Five Traits of ‘Clutch’ Leaders

September 9, 2011

“If you can’t perform well under pressure, then you can’t really perform well.”
– Geoff Colvin

Paul Sullivan

According to author Paul Sullivan, clutch performers have figured out how to perform under high stress conditions as if they were everyday situations. Drawing on new research and interviews with stars across a range of fields, Sullivan uncovers the shared traits that define clutch performers and explains how anyone can apply these lessons to become great under pressure.

Who is the most “clutch” person you know? That’s the question I always get when I talk about how people succeed under pressure. My answer is always a military leader — someone trained to make combat decisions with life-or-death consequences. No business leader or athlete can ever lay claim to that.

To read Paul Sullivan’s full post on the HBR Blog Network and discover the five traits that all clutch leaders do share, click here.

Paul Sullivan will present as part of the Linkage Thought Leader Series on Why Some People Excel under Pressure and Some Don’t via satellite and the web on December 8. This presentation will be recorded and made available on-demand after the live event.

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Women in Leadership Institute

NOV. 13–16, 2023 | Orlando, Florida, or Virtual
A 4-day immersive learning experience designed to equip women leaders with actionable strategies to overcome the hurdles women often face in the workplace.

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