How to Make Confident Decisions Under Pressure, with Retired Major General Jack Briggs (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 879)
Retired Major General Jack Briggs joins John Ray to share hard-earned insights on leading through crisis and making confident decisions under pressure. Drawing from more than three decades of military leadership, including 225 combat sorties and his role as Director of Operations at U.S. Northern Command, Jack explains why clarity, humility, and decisiveness are essential for leaders navigating high-stakes situations. He introduces a practical framework built around four key questions that can guide any leader through complexity and chaos.
Now serving in higher education and advising institutions across sectors, Jack brings these lessons into boardrooms, university leadership teams, and nonprofit strategy sessions. Whether you’re leading a business, a team, or a mission-driven organization, this episode will challenge how you think about crisis, redefine what it means to be decisive, and help you build a more grounded, confident leadership style when it matters most.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from this Episode
- Great crisis decision-makers share three core traits: they operate from clear principles, they ask others for help, and they know when and how to act decisively.
- The quality of the decision matters more than the outcome. Good decisions can lead to bad outcomes—and vice versa—but relying on luck isn’t a strategy.
- A crisis is a category error. You don’t solve a crisis. You solve the underlying problems that make it feel like a crisis.
- Leaders should ask four key questions during any crisis: What do we know? What don’t we know? What are we doing about it? Who else needs to know?
- Emotional regulation starts with the leader. If you overreact, your team will escalate. If you stay calm, they have room to respond effectively.
- Decisiveness is a skill that can be trained, not just a personality trait. It flows from having clear values and drawing on diverse input.
- Leaders should cultivate approachability, empathy, fierce advocacy for their team, and clarity in communication before the crisis hits.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
01:51 Interview with Major General Jack Briggs Begins
03:04 Jack Briggs’ Military Background and Leadership Experience
06:55 Key Characteristics of Effective Crisis Decision Makers
10:34 The Importance of Humility and Team Input in Decision Making
14:14 Defining Crisis vs. Problem
17:25 Four Core Questions for Crisis Decision Making
25:34 Deliberative vs. Impulsive Decision Making
28:47 The Role of Emotions in Leadership
32:29 Handling Rapidly Evolving Situations
35:21 Developing Crisis Management Skills
40:19 Applying Crisis Management in Higher Education
45:34 Essential Leadership Qualities for Complex Times
47:49 Conclusion and Contact Information
Major General Jack Briggs (Retired)
Major General Jack Briggs is a retired United States Air Force officer with over 31 years of distinguished service, culminating in senior leadership roles including Director of Operations for U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. In this role, he was the principal adviser on operational matters, overseeing strategic guidance for land, maritime, homeland defense air operations, and defense support to civil authorities within the North American area of responsibility.
He graduated as a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986 and has extensive experience as a fighter pilot, having flown 225 combat sorties in operations such as Desert Storm, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. His career also includes command at squadron and wing levels, NATO staff positions, and serving as executive officer to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command.
After retiring from the Air Force in 2017, Major General Briggs transitioned into leadership roles in higher education and non-profit sectors. He served as Vice President for Global Resiliency and Security at New York University, where he managed emergency management and security for multiple campuses worldwide. He later became President & CEO of Springs Rescue Mission in Colorado Springs, the largest homeless shelter and addiction recovery program in southern Colorado, driven by his faith and commitment to serving vulnerable populations, including homeless veterans.
Currently, Major General Briggs is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Safety Operations at the University of Colorado Boulder, overseeing emergency management, flight operations, and security operations. He also holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership and Innovation, applying his military leadership experience to transform organizations and sharpen decision-making capabilities in crisis environments.
LinkedIn | For speaking, consulting and media opportunities, please connect with his agency, Voices to Connect
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $17 billion in assets and more than 180 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from each banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way to better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio
If you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 870 shows and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their market, community, and profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.
