Culture Under Pressure: A Lesson in Leadership at TedxOshawa 

Kinza Mahoon, an engineering manager at Smoothstack, recently took the stage at TedxOshawa with a powerful idea: how handling stress in a moment of crisis starts with culture. Mahoon became involved with TedxOshawa as a way to spend quality time together with her mom, who was also part of the organization. Mahoon began volunteering as a project manager, helping manage events. But after sharing ideas she was passionate about with other volunteers, they encouraged her to step out from behind the scenes and deliver a talk herself.  

There is perhaps no better illustration of crisis management than the story of the Titanic. In her talk, Mahoon highlights an unsung hero of the disaster, Harold Cottam. Cottam was a 21-year-old wireless operator who picked up the Titanic’s distress signals.  

Without hesitation, he ran directly to the captain of the Carpathia’s headquarters to wake him. That decision led the Carpathia to respond, ultimately rescuing every survivor pulled from the Atlantic Ocean that night.    

Cottam, a 21-year-old, was just two months into his role, yet he acted decisively in a moment of crisis. He took a risk because he felt empowered to act, and that decision helped save lives.  

Mahoon emphasizes that this kind of bold action does not happen by accident.  It is the result of a culture where people feel safe. When individuals trust their environment, they are more willing to take risks and speak up when it matters most. Building that kind of culture takes time and intentional effort, but when fairness and trust are absent, people stay silent, and silence sinks ships.   

Mahoon’s perspective is shaped by her own experience. As an engineering manager, she has built and led teams made up of individuals from diverse backgrounds.   

Some of Mahoon’s team members are recent graduates, while others are transitioning careers. Many of her team members bring experience from entirely different fields, including plumbing, office management, and military service.   

Bringing together a group with varied experiences requires thoughtful leadership to create a cohesive and effective team.  In high-stakes environments, Mahoon has consistently seen that culture makes all the difference.   

Mahoon puts it simply, “Our people are our product. If the code that comes out is mediocre, great, you learn something. Building people up is more my focus. Instilling pride and confidence, that is the actual product. The code is the byproduct.”  

Mahoon sees the same potential she observed in Harold Cottam in many of the individuals she works with today: bright, capable people who will go on to operate in high-pressure, high-impact environments. Her priority is ensuring they feel confident enough to speak up, collaborate effectively, and trust that their voices matter.    

Mahoon outlines three key areas that she sees the greatest impact on teams:  

1. Consistent, positive feedback  

Mahoon is quick to recognize what is going well, so when she does need to share critical feedback, it doesn’t disrupt the foundation of trust she has built. She consistently puts herself in others’ shoes. “If you were a 21-year-old intern, fresh on the job, how would you want others to react as you are learning and experiencing things for the first time?” she asks. Providing consistent, positive feedback instills a spirit of fairness that she applies across all team members.  

2. Obsessively communicate  

Mahoon prioritizes open communication with every member of her team. Overcommunication signals that no problem is too small and encourages curiosity and confidence to grow at both the individual and team level.  If people are going to take risks, they need to feel supported as they learn and adapt.  

 3. Build individual relationships with everyone  

Mahoon believes there is no substitution for individual relationships. Every single person she works with comes from a unique background. Taking the time to understand her team on an individual level strengthens communication, builds trust, and opens the door to meaningful feedback and readiness to collaborate.    

When working in high-stake environments you can do everything right and still face unexpected challenges. Crisis does not create character; it reveals it. The organizations that come out ahead are the ones that have already invested in building teams where people feel empowered to act.  

Through consistent communication and intentional relationship building, Mahoon is building a culture where people feel confident, supported, and prepared to rise to the challenge.   

To learn more about building a culture of trust, watch Mahoon’s TedxOshawa talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxrylhqcAIU