In this brutally honest debrief episode of Resilient Foundations, Rebecca and colleague, Doug Hall revisit a project (Project Jaguar) that looked promising on paper, but turned into a lesson in leadership, requirements, and reality. If you've ever thought "just plug it in" is a solution, this one's for you.

Despite best intentions, a rockstar team, and intense executive oversight, the final result didn't meet business needs. Why? From misplaced assumptions to missing requirements and underestimating internal politics, they dissect the pain points that turned a promising upgrade into a cautionary tale. Along the way, they discuss the dangers of adopting off-the-shelf software without proper due diligence, the perils of "it's just a tech project" thinking, and the irreplaceable value of honest leadership, humor, and team trust. Whether you're in tech, project management, or executive leadership, this episode is a "what not to do" and how to lead through it anyway.

#resilientfoundations #leadership #decisionmaking #corporateleadership

00:00 Introduction to Resilient Foundations

00:36 Project Jaguar Overview

01:38 Challenges and Low Points

02:25 Top Three Issues

05:27 Vendor and Customization Issues

07:02 Leadership and Change Management

16:49 Lessons in Transparency and Integrity

23:58 Balancing Scope, Cost, and Quality

24:26 Creating a Collaborative Team Environment

26:29 Consensus Building and Negotiation

27:59 The Importance of Adaptability in Technology Projects

29:35 Lessons from Project Failures

35:23 The Buy vs. Build Dilemma

38:45 The Value of Asking Questions

41:29 The Role of Humor in High-Stress Projects

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.

When teams stall, argue, or miss deadlines, it's rarely about talent, it's about unclear roles. In this episode OF Resilient Foundations, Rebecca unpacks the underestimated power of role clarity and how it transforms teams from reactive to resilient, especially when the stakes are high.

From everyday operations to high-pressure crises, a lack of clarity around "who owns what" can stall momentum, fuel blame, and drain trust. Rebecca breaks down the three levels of role clarity: macro, operational, and crisis, and shows how leaders can diagnose confusion, streamline decision-making, and build frameworks that reduce friction and elevate accountability. With practical tools like the DACI model, stand-up strategies, and role audits, this episode equips you to lead with precision and build teams that thrive under pressure.

#resilientfoundations #leadership #decisionmaking #corporateleadership

00:00 Introduction to Role Clarity in Leadership

00:19 The Importance of Role Clarity

02:31 Identifying Role Clarity Issues

03:47 Types of Role Clarity

09:03 Implementing Role Clarity Frameworks

12:48 Daily and Weekly Role Clarity Practices

15:35 Conclusion

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.

The 5 Stages Every Leader Must Master to Build High-Performing Teams

Are you leading a team stuck in tension or just coasting in the norm? Learn how to consciously move your team through proven stages of growth toward high performance, where trust thrives and results soar.

In this episode of Resilient Foundations, Rebecca breaks down the powerful and timeless Tuckman's model of team development, a framework she's successfully applied to engineering teams, crisis teams, sports teams, and more. She walks you through the five essential stages, Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning, explaining how to recognize each one and lead your team through it with clarity, courage, and emotional intelligence.

#resilientfoundations #leadership #decisionmaking #corporateleadership

01:52 Stage 1: Forming - Creating Clarity

04:49 Stage 2: Storming - Managing Resistance

10:27 Stage 3: Norming - Building Consistency

13:44 Stage 4: Performing - Achieving High Performance

18:09 Stage 5: Adjourning - Reflecting and Celebrating

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.

When Amazon Web Services went down for 13 hours, it wasn't just a tech issue, it was a business continuity crisis.

In this episode of Resilient Foundations, Rebecca breaks down a real-world case study of the infamous AWS outage and the ripple effects it had on companies worldwide. Through this incident, Rebecca uncovers the critical importance of understanding your vendor risk, third-party dependencies, and the chain of suppliers that can make or break your operational resilience.

You'll learn how to assess vendor criticality, build more resilient business structures, and ask the right questions before disruption strikes. Whether you're managing cloud services, call centers, or global teams, this episode is your key to help you stay off the front page of the Wall Street Journal...for the wrong reasons.

#resilientfoundations #leadership #decisionmaking #corporateleadership

00:00 Introduction to Vendor Risk

01:00 The AWS Outage Case Study

02:45 Understanding Vendor Dependencies

06:30 Selecting and Managing Third-Party Vendors

09:47 People, Process, and Technology Dependencies

16:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.

What if the decisions you made in a crisis were already half-made?

In part two of this powerful leadership series of Resilient Foundations, Rebecca breaks down how to proactively prepare for high-stakes situations, BEFORE the pressure is on. Building off part one's exploration of how to make decisions under pressure, this episode focuses on how to build mental readiness, leadership resilience, and strategic foresight.

Whether you're navigating a business acquisition, leading through organizational change, or simply preparing for the unexpected, Rebecca shares three key strategies to help you lead with confidence when it matters most.

#resilientfoundations #leadership #decisionmaking #corporateleadership

00:00 Introduction to High Stakes Decisions Under Pressure

01:14 Inverting the Decision: Worst Case Scenario Planning

05:49 Practicing Under Stress: Building Resilience

07:06 Building a Trusted Advisory Network

08:25 Recap and Final Thoughts

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.

How do you lead clearly when your body is screaming stress?

In this episode of Resilient Foundations, Rebecca shares powerful techniques to regulate your body's response in high-stakes situations. From rapid-response breathing methods to long-term stress recovery, you'll learn how to stay physically and mentally grounded when everything feels urgent.

It doesn't matter if you're walking into a high-pressure meeting or recovering from crisis mode, these tools will help you lead with clarity, resilience, and presence. This is your guide to physiological self-regulation as a leader.

- Managing physiological stress during high-stakes moments

- The 4-4-8 breathing method and how to use it under pressure

- Simple ways to reset your nervous system in minutes

- Daily habits that prevent burnout and adrenal overload

- Why magnesium and Neuro Gum are part of Rebecca's crisis kit

- How to release stress and trauma from the body post-crisis (EFT, TRE, EMDR)

- The link between sleep quality and executive function

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.

When everything's on the line, how do you stay calm, think clearly, and lead your team without spiraling into chaos? In this episode of Resilient Foundations, Rebecca breaks down a practical 5-pillar framework to help leaders make smart, confident decisions under intense pressure without falling into analysis paralysis or reckless gut calls.

In high-stakes leadership moments, decisions need to be made fast, but without sacrificing clarity or control. Drawing from real-world crisis scenarios, including operational disruption during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Rebecca shares powerful strategies to regulate your nervous system, process information rapidly, evaluate risk, and lead teams with clarity and compassion.

If you're navigating a major project failure or an organizational crisis, these five pillars will ground your thinking, protect your team's performance, and help you lead with resilience and resolve.

In this episode, you'll hear:

- Structured decision-making under pressure

- The physiological impact of stress on leadership clarity

- When to use gut instinct vs. data

- Framework: What's true, false, or under investigation

- Communication clarity in chaotic environments

- Worst-case scenario planning and inversion thinking

- Why mistakes happen and how resilient leaders respond

Connect with Rebecca!

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.

High-stakes situations can define your success or end your career. In this episode of the Resilient Foundations Podcast, Rebecca shares the four key signs of a high-stakes moment: consequences, visibility, time pressure, and uncertainty. From ransomware attacks to reputational crises, natural disasters, and career-defining leadership tests, Rebecca explains how to recognize the signals before they spiral out of control.

You'll hear real-life examples involving executives, business owners, and managers navigating critical challenges, along with strategies to prepare, pivot, and lead under pressure. Whether you're running a company, protecting your reputation, or steering a team through tough decisions, this conversation gives you the framework to not only survive, but thrive, when the stakes are highest.

- Four factors that define a high-stakes situation: consequences, visibility, time pressure, and uncertainty

- Real-life corporate crises including ransomware, reputational damage, and regulatory challenges

- Career risks for managers and team members: integrity tests, visibility, and stretch assignments

- Are you ready for a crisis? Operational planning, communication frameworks, and practicing scenarios

- Why proactive "what if" thinking builds resilience

Website – resilientfoundations.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplantz/

TikTok – resilientfoundations

More Info

View Email: rebeccaplantz@gmail.com

Channel: www.youtube.com/@ResilientFoundations

Rebecca Plantz is a seasoned executive leader with more than 25 years of experience leading a variety of high-stakes crises and enterprise initiatives to achieve business transformation. Her experience in leading large, cross-functional teams to deliver innovative technology, AI-enabled platforms and operations, risk management programs, information security programs, and operational resilience resulted in a wealth of expertise and toolsets that will be shared.

Tough times create great leaders. Having led executives and front-line teams to survive more than 750 crises, Rebecca has honed what it takes to prepare for and lead in circumstances that require Olympic-level skills and readiness.