Crisis-Ready Teams Don’t Panic. They Perform.
When pressure hits, teams don’t rise to the level of their plan. They fall to the level of their training. I help senior leaders build crisis-ready teams who make clear decisions and take fast, confident action when it matters most.
Dave Greenberg – Crisis Leadership Specialist with 4,000+ real-world missions
Trusted by organisations like these, where failure is not an option:
From frontline chaos to leadership clarity
For 25 years Dave crewed the Westpac Rescue Helicopter in Wellington, flying on more than 4,000 missions.
He has seen what happens when teams are ready for their worst day and when they are not. Now he helps senior leaders build teams that stay calm, make clear decisions, and keep control when the pressure comes on.
Dave was the keynote speaker for my leaders’ forum. He spoke about how safety is transferable between high-risk environments. His message really hit home for our team.
“You’ve told the board you’re crisis-ready. But deep down, you’re not so sure…”
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The plans look solid, but you’re not convinced your people will hold up when real pressure hits.
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A close call recently revealed just how exposed the organisation truly is.
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Communication and coordination fail at the exact moment they matter most.
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Senior leaders slip into the weeds instead of leading from the front.
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Teams run smoothly in normal times, but freeze the moment things go wrong.
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“Lessons learned” keep turning into lessons repeated.
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Pressure from boards, regulators, and stakeholders keeps building.
If these sound uncomfortably familiar, you’re not alone. There’s a proven way forward.
Leadership under pressure isn’t learned in a classroom. It’s learned in the real world.
After thousands of missions and high-pressure decisions, Dave shows leaders how to stay clear, stay calm, and keep their teams performing when everything around them is anything but.
Because when pressure hits, you fall to the level of your training, not the level of your plan.
Confidence under pressure comes from experience. Not slide decks.
When everything is a crisis, nothing is a crisis!
See why leaders book Dave again and again.
Keynote highlight reel. Turn sound on.
Here’s what senior leaders say after seeing Dave in action.
Dave captivated the audience and imparted valuable lessons,
which left a lasting impression on everyone present.
PRACTICAL, PROVEN FRAMEWORKS
These aren’t theories from a boardroom.
Each one is forged from real-world pressure.
Tested in helicopters, emergency ops centres and high-stakes leadership environments.
Simple enough to remember when everything goes sideways and strong enough to keep your people focused, fast and in control when it counts.
BRACE FRAMEWORK
Protects revenue and reputation by giving your team a clear playbook for high-pressure events.
Crisis response shouldn’t be improvised.
When a serious incident hits, confusion, hesitation, and misaligned teams can turn a bad situation into a business threat.
BRACE gives your leaders a practical, repeatable sequence to stabilise the business, lead decisively, and keep operations moving even when pressure is coming from every direction.
It’s the same approach I relied on during 4,000 helicopter missions, and it’s now the system I teach leaders to use to keep calm, stay in control, and protect what matters most.
SIZE-UP FRAMEWORK
Gives leaders fast situational clarity so they act on what matters, not noise.
When leaders don’t get an immediate, accurate picture of what’s happening, they waste precious time chasing the wrong problems.
SIZE-UP gives your team six focused questions that cut through uncertainty so they can identify what’s important, understand what needs to happen next, and move with confidence instead of hesitation.
It’s the tool I used on mission after mission when the situation was unclear and the stakes were high, and it’s the system I now teach leaders to stay decisive under pressure.
RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK
Keeps your business functioning through disruption so a bad day doesn’t become a crisis..
When a disruption catches your business unprepared, even small issues can cascade into expensive outages and reputational damage.
This five-step process helps teams spot what’s coming, prepare early, respond with confidence, bounce back stronger, and stop making the same mistakes again and again.
It’s practical, simple, and brutally effective because it’s not built from theory; it’s built from real-world recovery experience.
SAFE FRAMEWORK
Helps people stay calm and make the right decisions when danger spikes.
When danger hits suddenly, instinct takes over — and instinct is rarely what keeps people safe under pressure.
SAFE gives your team a simple, repeatable loop — Stop, Assess, Figure-Out, Execute — so they stay sharp, make clear decisions, and act fast when it matters most.
I used this for the first life I ever saved at 13, and then during every helicopter landing over 25 years. It works because it forces people to think clearly when their instincts want to panic.
TRUSTED FRAMEWORK
Builds high-trust teams who communicate clearly and perform under pressure.
When pressure hits, capability alone isn’t enough — teams without trust break down, lose coordination, and make avoidable mistakes.
TRUSTED teaches teams to rely on their skills, their systems, and, critically, each other, so they can operate smoothly even when the day goes sideways.
It’s the interpersonal glue that keeps teams aligned, decisive, and composed when things get hot.