# How Great Leaders Stay Calm in a Crisis | GitLab CISO Chaim Mazal

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768/how-great-leaders-stay-calm-in-a-crisis-gitlab-ciso-chaim-mazal
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768/how-great-leaders-stay-calm-in-a-crisis-gitlab-ciso-chaim-mazal.md
Podcast: [Lead the Team (Top 2% of Podcasts)](https://stenobird.com/podcast/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768)
Published: 2026-09-13T22:00:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.benfanning.com/theceosessions/chaim
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/e96e9dde-be41-4f2f-98a9-15dfca1180fb.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/lead-the-team-top-2-of-podcasts-1064768/episodes/how-great-leaders-stay-calm-in-a-crisis-gitlab-ciso-chaim-mazal
Duration seconds: 1976

## Resource

What do you do when everything goes wrong...and everyone is looking to you for answers? Chaim Mazal knows that feeling. As Chief Information Security Officer at GitLab , he operates in a world where one alert can suddenly mean it’s “all hands on deck.” In this episode of Lead The Team, Chaim shares the story of a major cybersecurity incident at a previous company where sensitive customer data was exposed. At one point, the potential impact appeared to include more than 3,000 customers. Teams worked nights and weekends, the clock was ticking, and, as Chaim describes it, everyone was “collectively freaking out.” His job as a leader was to remain the voice of reason. His lesson: “It’s not what happens, it’s how you deal with it.” Chaim and Ben also explore: • Why resilience matters more than perfection • How to stay calm when your team is under intense pressure • Chaim’s daily practice of “positive projection” • Why great leaders hire talented people and then trust them • The three leadership traits he believes matter most in the AI era • How Brazilian jiu-jitsu, running, and physical challenges build mental resilience • The COVID realization that changed how he manages stress • Why becoming a better leader starts with investing in yourself as a human being Chaim’s career requires him to prepare for things to go wrong. Yet his leadership philosophy is rooted in optimism, trust, curiosity, and the belief that his team can find a way forward. Whether you’re leading through a crisis, managing an ambitious team, or simply dealing with the everyday uncertainty of leadership, this conversation offers a practical reminder: you can’t control everything that happens, but you can control how you show up when it does. ----- Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning Sp…

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