There's a lot of unknowns here, but here's what I'd do. It reflects some of the top comments: 1. Know your goal. If it's to meet a deadline, then documentation

There's a lot of unknowns here, but here's what I'd do. It reflects some of the top comments: 1. Know your goal. If it's to meet a deadline, then documentation, refactoring, or any other quality of life tasks won't move you closer. If anything, it will sow confusion and make the team more stressed. Leave that for post-deadline. 2. Focus on the stress. Spend time with each team member 1:1 to figure out what their stresses are. Come up with a plan together on how they'll address it. Make sure they feel it's the right plan. 3. Leadership isn't something that comes from title. You earn it by being the person the team looks up to. Teams look up to the person that sticks up for them and makes them feel powerful. In my experience, that transcends culture.