When Leadership Doesn’t Feel Steady
Some seasons of leadership feel smooth.
This is not one of them.
Right now, leading can feel like trying to steady a boat that won’t stop rocking. Plans change midstream. Budgets tighten. People are uneasy. And you’re supposed to stay calm, confident, and clear.
There’s pressure in that.
I talk with leaders every week who won’t say it publicly, but they’ll say it privately. They’re tired. Not defeated. Just tired of constant recalibration.
What worked before doesn’t quite work now. The rules seem to shift faster than they can adjust. And still, their team is watching them for direction.
Here’s what I’ve noticed.
The leaders who handle this season best are not the ones with the most control. They’re the ones who’ve let go of needing it.
Letting Go of Control
There’s a subtle shift that happens.
Early in our careers, control feels responsible. We stay on top of everything. We check every detail. We make sure nothing slips.
But when things are volatile, trying to hold every thread only tightens the knot.
You start to realize you cannot personally stabilize every moving piece. And oddly, that realization can be freeing.
You get clearer about what truly matters.
You say, “Here’s the priority. Here’s the direction. Here’s what we know today.”
And you stop pretending you know more than you do.
That honesty builds trust faster than polished certainty ever could.
Rethinking the Plan
Another shift happens around plans.
There was a time when I believed a strong leader always had the long-range roadmap figured out. Now I believe strong leaders are comfortable adjusting the map without losing the destination.
Adaptability isn’t chaos. It’s paying attention.
When to Pause
It’s noticing when the market shifts, when morale dips, when something feels off. And instead of defending the original plan, you pause and ask, “Is this still right?”
That pause takes humility.
The Human Side of Turbulence
And then there’s the human side.
Turbulence affects people differently. Some withdraw. Some overwork. Some get sharp around the edges.
You can’t spreadsheet your way through that.
You have to slow down enough to see it.
Leading With Empathy
A quick check-in. A real conversation. Explaining the “why” behind a hard decision instead of hiding behind a vague announcement.
Empathy doesn’t weaken authority. It strengthens it.
When people feel considered, they stay steadier.
What Turbulence Reveals in You
There’s also something that turbulence exposes in leaders themselves.
It reveals where you get rigid. Where you default to control. Where you hesitate because the answer isn’t perfect.
You see your own edges more clearly.
That can be uncomfortable.
But growth rarely happens when everything is predictable.
One of the hardest lessons in leadership is accepting that clarity doesn’t always come before action. Sometimes it comes during action.
You make the best call you can with the information you have. You communicate it clearly. And you stay open to adjusting.
That’s not weakness. That’s maturity.
The Leader This Season Is Shaping
And maybe this is the quiet truth underneath it all.
Turbulent seasons shape leaders more than stable ones ever could.
They reveal character. They test patience. They stretch perspective.
You don’t get to choose whether disruption shows up.
You do get to choose how you respond to it.
You can grip tighter. Or you can get clearer.
You can react. Or you can steady.
None of this is easy.
But leadership rarely is.
And sometimes the very seasons that feel most uncertain are the ones that define who you become as a leader.
The conditions may not settle anytime soon.
The question is whether you are settling into the kind of mindset that can lead through them.
You don’t get to choose whether disruption shows up.
You do get to choose how you respond to it.
If this season is stretching you as a leader, that’s not a sign you’re failing. It may be a sign you’re growing. And sometimes growth is easier when you have space to reflect, recalibrate, and strengthen how you lead.
If you’re ready to lead through uncertainty with more clarity and confidence, this is exactly the kind of work I do with leaders navigating change in real time.
