Pressure can spur you on, but it can also become an obstacle to performance and achievement. It can overwhelm a leader and cause missteps.

Pressure grows more intense across three elements:

• How much something matters.
• How uncertain the outcome is.
• How many other demands there are.

Being connected to the importance of what you are doing is a powerful motivational force. But during peak pressure moments, importance can rise to an unhealthy level and can derail a cause - all you can think about is how important the stakes are and what you might gain and l...