Steady Leadership in Unsteady Times

How leaders anchor themselves and their teams when the world feels uncertain

November 07, 2024

This November, we’re focusing the newsletter on resilience—a foundational leadership skill, especially in times of uncertainty. And there’s no better moment to explore it than during this election week. The events unfolding around us will influence how people show up at work, bringing emotions (positive or negative), frustrations, and distractions that can’t be ignored.

Resilience isn’t about just powering through—it’s about cultivating agility to adapt, respond thoughtfully, and stay anchored in purpose. As leaders, this moment calls for a balance between empathy and action, knowing when to guide and when to create space and embrace the unknown. No matter what, the worst thing we can do right now is disengage, compartmentalize, and ignore the reality both we and our people are navigating.

Four Ways Leaders Build Resilience

1. Acknowledge the Moment
People are bringing humanity to work—along with the anxieties, hopes, and frustrations tied to current events. Instead of ignoring or minimizing these feelings, acknowledge them. Simple check-ins like, “What’s top of mind for you today?,” “How are you feeling on a scale from 1 to 5?,” and “What does support look like?” can help surface hidden tensions and build meaningful connections. Most importantly, it assures your team that work is a safe space, even amidst uncertainty.

2. Anchor in Purpose
When external events feel overwhelming, purpose becomes the anchor. Remind your team how their individual roles contribute to something bigger. Reaffirming purpose strengthens focus and aligns efforts, ensuring that even in turbulent times, people can see the value in their work.

3. Set Boundaries and Model Self-Care
In her book How to Do Nothing, Jenny Odell states: “Our very idea of productivity is premised on the idea of producing something new, whereas we do not tend to see maintenance and care as productive in the same way.” In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to default to overwork. But resilience requires recovery. Model healthy boundaries by encouraging downtime for mental breaks. When leaders demonstrate self-care, it signals to the team that well-being matters—especially when stress is high.

4. Empower Through Trust
Resilient leaders trust their teams to lead from where they stand. Give people the autonomy to adapt and respond to challenges as they arise. Control creates rigidity, but trust fosters adaptability—exactly what’s needed in unpredictable moments.

10-Minute Takeaway: Build Your Own Resilience Ritual

This week, try this exercise to center yourself amid uncertainty:

  1. Pause and Reflect: Take five minutes to breathe and ask yourself, What matters most today?

  2. Focus and Act: Identify one thing within your control that can move your team forward.

  3. Share a Purpose-Driven Action: During your next team check-in, share this focus and invite others to reflect on what they can influence.

Tip: Resilience isn’t about powering through—it’s about knowing when to pause, recalibrate, and re-engage. Small, thoughtful actions build sustainable momentum and prevent burnout.

  • The election isn’t just an event—it’s a test of leadership. How leaders show up now will determine whether their teams trust them to navigate future uncertainties. Christie Smith, founder of The Humanity Studio, shares more about How to Election-Proof Your Leadership in Chief Executive Magazine.

  • Bill Gates on what he wished he knew about “productivity” earlier in his career: how doing less can sometimes accomplish more.

  • New research from Deloitte reveals that the majority of people crave training on human skills versus tech skills, highlighting the gap that exists between training offered and what employees are actually looking for.

  • As we strive for better work-life integration, consider that Iceland is outperforming most other European economies after introducing a nationwide 4-day work week.

A Dose of Humanity to Fill Your Cup

Final Thoughts from Mariann Williamson

“Leadership in the 21st century is not top down. We're moving from a dominator model to a collaboration model, a partnership model, of society in general. So to me, the greatest leader is not someone who just dictates what they think is best but holds the space for the genius of others. Holds the space—and that's what America should be—that every person feels supported in becoming their best, their most intelligent, their wisest, and that's what I think a great leader is. That's straight out of the Tao Te Ching. What do they say, that ‘a great leader is one nobody even notices that there was anybody behind this’? Things just seem to work. So to me, a leader is someone who has their eye on the possibilities that are provided by the creation of a space in which everyone is invited to thrive. That’s how you take care of a society.”

Join the Conversation

If this week’s newsletter resonated with you, we’d love to hear your thoughts! How do you cultivate resilience in your leadership, especially during moments of uncertainty? What practices help you stay anchored when the ground shifts? Reply to this email directly, or join the conversation by commenting on this post. Your insights might inspire others navigating similar challenges.

Thank you for being here. Until next week,

The Humanity Studio Team

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