First Factory COO Writes for thought LEADERS on The Hidden Cost of Stress

Don Gregori, COO of First Factory, explains how stress quietly undermines a leader's credibility and why authenticity builds more trust than a polished front.

July 20, 2026

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The Hidden Cost of Stress: How It Undermines Your Leadership Authority

Writing for thoughtLEADERS, First Factory COO Don Gregori shares a personal story about how stress affected his own presentation to employees, then unpacks the research behind it.

He explains how leaders’ nonverbal cues, not their words, shape how much their teams trust them, and argues that leaders build more trust by naming uncertainty openly than by projecting false composure.

Don Gregori is the Chief Operating Officer of First Factory, a multinational software solutions provider based in New York with nearshore operations in Costa Rica. A certified AI Business Leader, Don brings over 25 years of experience helping businesses from startups to Fortune 500 companies navigate product development, digital transformation, and AI adoption. He is a contributing author to The AI Journal and the author of The Emergent Leader, releasing June 16, 2026.