Effective crisis leadership requires three core elements: staying calm, maintaining credibility through trust, and demonstrating courage to make difficult decisions. Leaders don't need all the answers but should surround themselves with experts, embrace diverse perspectives, and prioritize resilience and connection with their teams.
- The three C's of crisis leadership are calm, credibility, and courage — leaders don't need every answer but must ask the right questions and invite opposing voices.
- Don't let today define tomorrow — build resilience through your network and lead with purpose rather than becoming paralyzed by challenges.
- Sit at the table, not the back row — self-doubt indicates commitment, not incompetence; empathy and curiosity are leadership strengths, not weaknesses.
- Show up and be present — take initiative to connect with leaders through coffee meetings and invest in continuous learning at every career stage.
- Find an advocate, then become one — seek mentors who actively champion your advancement and pay it forward by helping emerging talent without waiting to be asked.
Leaders don't need every answer in a crisis, but they do need to stay calm, credible and courageous, according to Dana Brooks Christy, managing director at Kincannon & Reed and former president and CEO of the Pet Food Institute (PFI).
Brooks Christy spoke during an Ask the Petfood Pro fireside chat organized by Women in Petfood Leadership. Chloe DiVita, interim managing director and director of growth and membership for the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), moderated the discussion. Kincannon Reed is a global retained executive search and leadership advisory firm serving the food and agriculture industries.
Brooks Christy began her career as a cotton scout and grain merchandiser in Arkansas. After her father was killed in a farm accident at age 48, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work on food and agriculture policy on Capitol Hill. She later held leadership roles with Land O'Lakes, the National Milk Producers Federation and Farm Bureau before leading PFI for eight years. After leaving PFI, she earned an executive coaching certification and joined Kincannon Reed.
"It is an interesting career, and I certainly didn't follow a straight line," Brooks Christy said.
Here are five key takeaways on leadership lessons from the discussion.
1. In a crisis, stay with the three C's
Brooks Christy arrived at PFI to regulatory challenges and product recalls, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and the debate over grain-free diets and canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). She said she quickly learned how emotional the pet food space is.
During her second week on the job, the director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) told her the agency received more calls about pet food than anything else across the entire FDA.
"Every single decision is heartstrings," she said.
Her formula for leading through those moments is three words. "In those times of crisis, you just stay with the C's," Brooks Christy said. "Gotta be calm. Gotta be credible. That's the trust. And you've gotta show some courage."
Leaders also don't need to have every answer, she said. Instead, they should surround themselves with experts, ask the right questions and be willing to make difficult decisions. That includes inviting opposing voices into the conversation.
"Don't discount someone just because you're like, 'That is the kookiest idea I've ever heard,'" she said. "It came from somewhere. So ask and learn."
When opinions split, someone must still lead. "I'm always about consensus, but consensus does not mean unanimous," Brooks Christy said.
2. Don't let today define tomorrow
Asked for the single lesson she hoped attendees would take from her career, Brooks Christy pointed to resilience and connection.
"Don't let what happens today define your tomorrow," she said. "And use your network. If you're feeling overwhelmed or afraid, don't go alone. Find someone. Too many times, we just become paralyzed in ourselves, and you find out no one else is seeing you in that light."
She encouraged leaders to build a team, stay connected and lead with purpose. "You will never go wrong living a life of purpose and passion," she said.
3. Don't sit in the back row; sit at the table
Brooks Christy said she was a reluctant CEO candidate who "couldn't see past" her own small dreams, and she urged women not to box themselves in. On imposter syndrome, she offered direct advice.
"Don't sit in the back row anymore," she said. "Sit at the table or as close to the table as your credentials allow. Show interest. Be present."
She reframed self-doubt as a sign of commitment. "If you think you're an imposter, that means you're absolutely not, because you're still questioning yourself," Brooks Christy said.
Finding your voice means being comfortable with who you are rather than copying someone else's leadership style, she said. Empathy and curiosity are strengths, not weaknesses.
"Great leaders are more curious than they are loud and aggressive," she said. Her advice to younger women: "Stop waiting until you feel comfortable or completely ready."
4. Show up and be present
Brooks Christy admitted she still feels nerves before speaking. "I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this call today. What am I going to say?' But I'm gonna show up," she said.
Showing up also means taking the initiative to connect. She advised emerging leaders to request coffee meetings, even 15-minute virtual ones, with leaders whose work interests them, and to approach those conversations with curiosity rather than "guns a-blazing."
"Ask for help. Ask for coffees," she said. "The people aren't going to come to you. Don't sit and wait on that."
She also urged attendees to take advantage of employer-provided leadership training. Brooks Christy returned to school at age 40 to earn a master's degree to stay competitive.
"If you are in your 20s and 30s and 40s and you don't take advantage of that free training, then you're letting yourself down," she said. "When you think you can't grow, when you can't learn something else, then you're done."
Simply attending the webinar counted, she added. "You took a step to sacrifice an hour of your day to be on here," she said. "You're already investing in yourself."
5. Find an advocate, then become one
Brooks Christy credited Beth Ford, now CEO of Land O'Lakes, with helping set her up for the PFI role. When Brooks Christy asked Ford to be her mentor, Ford said no.
"She's like, 'You don't need a mentor. You need an advocate. You need someone to get you in the room,'" Brooks Christy said. The exchange also showed her it was time to mentor others.
Early in her Washington career, Brooks Christy and a small group of women working on agriculture policy began meeting informally to share information. That group grew into a network of more than 400 women leaders that she managed for years. "We all rose with that," she said. "We didn't hold each other back."
She challenged senior women to seek out emerging talent rather than wait to be asked. "Just remember where you started," she said. "Don't make the younger people always be the one to ask."
Now in executive search, Brooks Christy said she sees her role as helping place people in the right seat. "I get to change somebody's life," she said. "It's a pretty powerful thing."
Watch the full conversation
Women in Petfood Leadership connects women and allies in the pet food industry through events, mentorship and networking. Its mentorship committee runs mentorship circles, with another round expected soon.
A recording of this discussion will be available at PetfoodForumEvents.com.
