22 years in big world-class organisations (ITC, Amazon, BCG) and startups (Pinelabs, Inmobi, Practo) taught me this crucial lesson amongst many others:

Anyone can inflate problems.

The real Most Valuable Players (MVPs) shrink mountains into molehills.

There's a Hindi saying that captures this perfectly: "Rai ka pahad koi bhi bana sakta hai, zaroorat hai unki jo pahad ka rai banaye." Anyone can make a mountain out of a mustard seed. What we need are people who can turn mountains back into mustard seeds.

The Hindi version packs more punch, honestly.

I've sat in hundreds of crisis meetings over two decades. The pattern is always the same. Some people walk in and the temperature rises. Others walk in and everyone exhales.

The first group amplifies. They add context that increases anxiety. They surface risks that aren't actionable. They ask questions that spiral the room into worse-case scenarios.

The second group absorbs. They listen, filter, and respond with "here's what we're going to do." They take a 10-alarm fire and methodically reduce it to a 3-alarm situation that has a clear path forward.

Both groups are working hard. Only one is actually helping.

Facing tough situations? Here's what I've learned works:

Step up, give it your all. Crisis moments are definitional. They're when reputations are built or broken. Don't hide. Don't delegate upward. Own the situation.

Work hard, project calm. This is literally why you're paid. Anyone can stay calm when things are easy. The job is staying calm when things aren't. Your team is watching your face for signals. Give them the right ones.

Absorb pressure, shield your team. Pressure flows downhill by default. Your job is to be the dam. Take the hit from above, translate it into clear action items below. Don't pass along the anxiety—pass along the plan.

Easy? No. Worth it? Absolutely.

Here's a simple test of your value in any organization:

Count the crisis meetings that wait for you to take charge.

Not meetings where you're invited. Meetings that don't really start until you walk in. Meetings where people are visibly relieved when you show up.

That's the measure. Not your title. Not your tenure. How many fires get handed to you because people trust you to shrink them?

This applies to personal life too. Families have crises. Friendships have rough patches. Communities face challenges.

The same principle holds: anyone can add to the chaos. The valuable people are the ones who absorb it, process it, and return calm.

Focus on what you can control. Panic doesn't help—ever. Become the person others turn to when things go wrong.

That's the skill worth building.

~Discovering Turiya@work@life