Why Your First Move in a Crisis Should Be Nothing

What I Learned from Aziz Hasan’s First Day as CEO of Kickstarter

Imagine walking into your first day as CEO. You’re ready to roll, excited to make an impact, thinking about what you’ll accomplish in your first 100 days.

Then, an hour into the job, you get an email that changes everything.

That’s what happened to Aziz Hasan, the former CEO of Kickstarter. On his first day, as the announcement of his leadership went live, a second email followed—Kickstarter employees were unionizing.

No heads-up. No preparation. Just a full-blown leadership test dropped in his lap.

Aziz’s reaction? He didn’t react.

Most CEOs feel the pressure to take immediate action, to make a bold statement, to show authority. But sometimes, acting quickly means acting quickly to listen.

Instead of rushing to take a stance, Aziz took two months to learn. He studied the legal frameworks, listened to employees, and got outside perspectives. He didn’t go in with an anti-union stance or a pro-union stance—he went in with a desire to understand what was best for the company and the employees.

This is a lesson for every CEO: You don’t always need to have the answer immediately.

The world tells leaders to be decisive. To be firm. To have an opinion and stick to it. But that kind of leadership, especially in moments of crisis, can backfire. Aziz took the opposite approach—he led by being present, by listening, and by understanding before acting.

And that’s something every CEO should take to heart.

In this episode of Critical Moments, we break down what it really takes to step into a leadership crisis and come out stronger.

🎧 Listen here.