What Comes Out When You’re Squeezed?

What Comes Out When You’re Squeezed? 

Years ago, Dr. Wayne Dyer shared a story that has stuck with me, and I found myself returning to it this week. He walked on stage with an orange in his hand and asked the audience a simple question: 

“If I squeeze this orange, what comes out?” 

The audience laughed a little and answered, “Orange juice.” 

He pressed further. “Why orange juice? Why not apple juice, or grapefruit juice, or something else?” 

The answer, of course, was obvious. Orange juice comes out because that is what is inside. 

That simple image carries a powerful truth. Pressure does not create what comes out of us. It reveals what has been inside all along. 

The Real Test of Leadership 

In property management, in executive roles, and in life in general, we get squeezed constantly. Budgets tighten. Deadlines shift. Market conditions change. Residents call with urgent issues. Staff need clarity and encouragement. The squeeze comes in many forms, and usually without warning. 

What shows up in those moments is not about the pressure itself. It is about what we have been carrying inside long before the moment arrived. If you have been filling yourself with frustration, negativity, or resentment, then when the squeeze comes, that is what spills out. If you have been cultivating gratitude, patience, and calm, then those qualities are what emerge when the pressure rises. 

This is why self-awareness and emotional intelligence are not luxuries for leaders. They are necessities. The tone you carry sets the temperature of your team. Your state becomes their standard. If you are frantic, they will feel frantic. If you are grounded, they will find steadiness in your presence. 

A Multifamily Example 

I have seen this play out across hundreds of properties over the past two decades. One example comes to mind from a regional manager who faced a sudden crisis: a major maintenance failure that displaced multiple residents at once. The pressure on her was immense. Residents were upset. Ownership wanted answers. The property team was scrambling. 

When she walked into the leasing office that morning, everyone looked to her for direction. She could have shown up with frustration, blame, and panic. Instead, because she had cultivated steadiness long before the crisis, she showed up with calm authority. She listened first, clarified roles, and framed the problem as solvable. 

The outcome? Residents felt supported, the team executed with clarity, and ownership trusted the process. The squeeze revealed what was inside her: resilience and leadership. 

By contrast, I have also seen leaders who carry unresolved frustration or who live in a constant reactive state. When the squeeze comes, they erupt. They micromanage, lash out, or shut down. The crisis becomes bigger than it needs to be, not because of the event itself, but because of what came spilling out under pressure. 

What Are You Filling Yourself With? 

That is the question I find myself asking: what am I putting inside each day? What am I feeding my mind, my heart, and my soul? 

If all I consume is negativity, stress, and busyness, then that is what will show up when the deadline moves or when a property’s numbers miss their mark. If I create space for curiosity, reflection, and gratitude, then that is what will spill out when the unexpected hits. 

For leaders, this is not optional. We are the emotional thermostats for our teams. If our default is anger, the team will carry tension. If our default is steadiness, the team will operate from strength. 

This is why I believe practices like stillness, journaling, and intentional reflection are not “soft skills.” They are operational strategies. They prepare us for the inevitable squeeze. 

Practical Ways to Prepare for Pressure 

I have worked with executives who assumed that composure under stress was purely a personality trait. In my experience, it is not. It is a habit of preparation. Here are a few practices that I have seen transform the way leaders show up when squeezed: 

• Daily reflection. Even five minutes of asking, “What filled me up today? What drained me?” helps leaders become intentional about what they carry. 

• Curated input. Pay attention to what voices you allow in. The articles you read, the podcasts you play, the people you surround yourself with these are all ingredients that fill you. 

• Emotional rehearsal. Some of the most effective regional managers I have coached take time to imagine stressful scenarios and visualize how they will respond. By rehearsing calm responses, they increase their odds of showing up that way when the moment arrives. 

• Gratitude practices. I know executives who start staff meetings by naming one positive outcome from the past week. This simple practice shifts the emotional fuel of the team. 

These practices do not prevent the squeeze. But they prepare you to respond from a place you will be proud of. 

Leadership Fuel, Not Luxury 

Curiosity, stillness, grace these are not luxuries for people who happen to have extra time. They are leadership fuel. They allow us to face conflict, deadlines, and crises without draining ourselves or our teams. They help us show up in ways that inspire confidence instead of spreading panic. 

Dr. Dyer was right. You cannot give away what you do not already have. If patience, empathy, and resilience are not inside, they will not appear under stress. And if they are inside, no amount of pressure can take them away. 

Executive Reflection 

So as leaders in multifamily, in business, and in life, the question is not whether the squeeze will come. It always does. The question is: what will come out of you when it does? 

This week, I am asking myself two simple questions: 

• Am I filling myself with things that fuel resilience or things that drain it? 

• When I get squeezed, will what comes out build trust and confidence, or erode it? 

The choice is made long before the pressure arrives. 

Wishing you wisdom, resilience, and wins this week.