Effective Leadership in Times of Rapid Change

Stress Is Inevitable; How You Manage It Is What Matters

The American Psychological Association defines stress as a natural response to challenges. It’s a response that helps us address problems, but prolonged stress can lead to burnout and unhealthy coping mechanisms. As a leader, it’s essential to recognize when stress is affecting you or your team in a negative way and take proactive steps to manage it.

In challenging times, turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms—like over consumption of junk foods, impulse spending, media scrolling, social isolation, alcohol or other substances—may seem like a quick way to relieve stress. But these choices ultimately drain your energy and resilience. As a business leader, your ability to stay grounded and clear-headed is vital. The health of your mind and body is directly linked to the health of your business. Invest in well-being—yours and your team’s—and avoid distractions that could undermine your leadership.

Focus Your Energy on What Moves the Needle

In times of stress, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the demands of running a business, and if you’re human you likely have responsibilities outside of business as well. The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, reminds us that most of our outcomes come from a small percentage of our efforts. Apply this principle to your business: identify the actions, clients, products, or services that are generating the results you want, and focus your resources there. Be real with yourself about where your time, money, and energy will yield the greatest returns and reallocate accordingly.

As humans, we are driven by emotions, biases, and habitual reactions. But as leaders, it’s essential to pause, acknowledge these reactions, and take a step back to assess the situation. Reacting impulsively can lead to mistakes, burnout, and diminished trust in your leadership. Take a moment to gather data before responding—this will help you make more informed, strategic decisions.

Lead with Intention: Protect Your Focus and Time

To lead effectively during unpredictable times, you must stay focused on the things that matter most. Here are seven strategies to keep in mind:

• Stay Focused on What You Can Control: Focus your attention on areas where you can have the most impact, and delegate, defer, or let go of what you cannot control.
• Keep Your Team Aligned on the Mission: Communicate regularly with your team, emphasizing the core mission and shared vision. Uncertainty can create confusion, but your leadership can provide stability.
• Prioritize Health and Safety: The well-being of your team must remain a priority. When people feel physically or psychologically safe, they are more capable of being productive and creative, solving problems that you may never even hear about as a leader. Don’t let stress or crises cause you to neglect the basic health and safety policies and procedures that keep your organization functioning.
• Lean on Your Network: Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a vital strategy for navigating uncertainty. Seek advice, feedback, and support. Whether from colleagues, mentors, or professional advisors, fresh perspectives can often lead to breakthroughs.
• Communicate Transparently: Be honest with your team about the challenges you’re facing and what actions you are taking. Even if you don’t have all the answers yet, keeping communication open will foster trust and help your team feel more secure.
• Be Intentional with Your Messaging: Focus first on the small moment-to-moment exchanges and interactions—infuse your words with hope, empowerment, and positivity—and then broaden that message. In moments of high stress, people seek safe harbors and a steady ship. Be that.
• Protect Your Time and Energy: Your time and energy are finite resources, so ensure that you are spending them on the actions and decisions that will create the outcomes you need. Avoid distractions and be mindful of where you invest your mental and physical resources.

Leadership Begins with You

As an individual, it’s essential to invest in your personal well-being. As the leader, your ability to guide your organization through challenges depends on your physical and mental health. Consider going “back to the basics” and ensuring you are getting quality sleep, eating healthy, exercising, getting outside, making time for community, and connecting. In addition to some of the classic approaches to stress management, try incorporating one or more of these while you are at the office:

• Claim Quiet in Your Day: The constant push to do more, be more, respond faster—it’s exhausting. Yet the most effective leaders know that clarity and creativity arise not from doing more but from creating space. We are surrounded by noise, demands, and expectations, but quiet is where the real work happens. Strategic pauses aren’t wasted time, they’re necessary recalibrations. Create quiet and space in your day to reclaim focus. The gems of innovation and problem-solving don’t emerge when we’re reacting to everything, they come from intentionally slowing down and claiming space.
• Time Block and Commit to Focused Work Time: Time isn’t the issue; distraction is. The real challenge is not a lack of hours in the day but the constant interruptions that chip away at our focus. Take control of when and how you use your energy. Carve out productive time and nix the interruptions. Set a “do not disturb” sign on your door, block your Teams notifications, and take a break from the Slack channel. It will improve your efficiency and you’ll get the bonus of a boost and mental recharge as you start seeing those completed tasks.
• Document and Vocalize Your Wins: Taking a moment to celebrate and even acknowledge minor wins can be hugely beneficial during challenging times. Incorporate wins with your team regularly and consider adding moments of celebration to your meeting agendas. Make sure it doesn’t get too routine. Change it up. Get creative. Write notes of appreciation and gratitude to colleagues and clients. Have a meeting to document your wins from the previous quarter. Focus on commitment and consistency of these actions for stronger impact.

By maintaining a healthy balance, you will be able to face challenges with clarity and strength, rather than getting stuck in overwhelm.

Adaptability Is Key to Survival

Survival isn’t about being the strongest or the smartest—it’s about adaptability. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, adaptability is your greatest asset. Whether you’re navigating shifts in the federal landscape, waiting on delayed payments from large contracts, adapting to new technology, or dealing with unpredictable market trends, your ability to adjust and remain flexible will ultimately determine your success.

You’re not alone in this—every business owner and leader is facing their own set of challenges. But remember, you have the power to choose how you will respond. Take control of your focus, energy, and actions and lead with resilience, purpose, and clarity.

This is your moment to demonstrate leadership, not just for your business, but for your team and your community.