Refining Your Focus
Thoughts on leading through uncertainty
"How do you navigate life's uncertainty? I crave control even though logically I know it's a facade."
This question from a reader echoes what I've been hearing from so many of you lately. And it's one I've been wrestling with myself.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about uncertainty. Not just the standard founder uncertainty we all live with, but the deeper kind that seems to be pervading our entire society right now.
I don't need to list all the reasons why things feel unstable—you're living it too. A looming recession, tariffs, political chaos, global conflicts, censorship and violence. It's not just your business that feels precarious—it's just about everything right now.
The Collective Psychological Shift
Throughout history, economic downturns and political instability have always triggered collective psychological shifts. We're not just individual people having individual reactions—we're part of a larger cultural response to uncertainty.
From a depth psychology perspective, what we're experiencing connects to what Jung called the "collective unconscious"—a shared, invisible psychological layer we all contribute to as humans. During periods of intense societal stress, our individual anxieties become amplified by and entangled with collective ones. The shadow aspects of society—those parts we'd rather not acknowledge—rise closer to the surface. In other words, times like these bring out our worst collective self.
(If you’d like to go down a rabbit hole here, depth psychologists have written extensively about the collective psychological conditions leading to catastrophic global events like WWII, as well as the path to economic and moral recovery.)
So if you feel like this is so much bigger than you, and largely out of your control: you’d be correct.
When society experiences these cycles, despite feeling unpredictable to those experiencing it, people's behaviors change predictably. History confirms it. We become more risk-averse. More tribal. More focused on the short-term. Our brains, trying to protect us, narrow our vision and elevate our stress responses.
This is impacting everyone, including your employees, your customers, your investors, and everyone else you interact with. The collective shift impacts us all, whether we like it or not.
Fortunately, history shows us that in these moments of collective challenge, there are opportunities for new forms of connection, unexpected growth, and the rediscovery of community resilience that often lies dormant in easier times.
Knowing this, let’s explore what you as a leader can do to best navigate these times.
What You Can Actually Control
As founders, we're particularly susceptible to the myth of control. We started companies because we believe in our ability to shape reality, to bring something new into existence through sheer will and persistence. And now, many of us are pushing against forces much larger than ourselves, wondering why our usual approaches aren't working.
The uncomfortable truth is that there's only one thing you can truly control: yourself. Your responses, your decisions, your mindset.
As leaders, acknowledging this limitation isn't weakness—it's vital wisdom. It allows you to focus your energy where it can actually make a difference.
Based on my own experience navigating turbulent times, here are some tactics I’d suggest that are fully in your control:
1. Attend to your psychological well-being
This is likely a time when you don't quite feel like yourself. Maybe you have a shorter temper than usual. Maybe you're experiencing recurring fears that make it impossible to focus. Maybe you’re frozen with indecision. Maybe your interpersonal interactions have become more strained.
If you notice troubling thought patterns or behaviors emerging, especially ones that interfere with your responsibilities or relationships, don't ignore them. This is precisely when working with a therapist or coach can be most valuable. They can help you identify triggers and develop strategies to respond in ways that measurably improve your business and your life.
Some founders I work with have found it helpful to set aside a small amount of time each evening to journal about moments when they felt emotionally triggered or off-balance during the day. This simple practice of noticing patterns can help separate you from automatic reactions.
2. Prioritize physical health
Despite the temptation to work longer hours, stay up late, or have a drink, this is actually the most crucial time to attend to your physical health. Stress compounds when your body is depleted.
I've seen too many founders (me included) make poor decisions not because they lack intelligence or judgment, but because their brains were operating on insufficient sleep, poor nutrition, and constant adrenaline.
Your nervous system is likely already in a heightened state. Simple practices that might seem trivial can make a significant difference:
Focusing on your breath for five minutes to reset your nervous system
Regular physical movement (easy hack: move most meetings to walking phone calls)
Quick physical release techniques like jumping in place, or even deliberate shaking to discharge stress and excess energy
One practical approach I recommend to clients is using the Pomodoro technique—not to force more productivity, but to ensure regular breaks. Work for 25 minutes, then take 5 minutes to calm your nervous system with one of the above techniques. These micro-breaks give your nervous system a chance to regulate before stress compounds.
3. Cut down to what's absolutely necessary
For your business, stop playing the rat race and become ruthless about efficiency. Stop pouring money into growth channels that aren't delivering. Pause products that are too expensive to make right now. Do the layoff. Conserve cash and energy.
Don't work against the tide—move with it. The businesses that survive downturns often aren't the most innovative or even the best-funded. They're the ones that adapt quickly to changing conditions—and that means contracting and conserving when you see the world around you doing the same.
4. Adjust your personal spending and energy
What looked like reasonable financial behavior in a growth market can quickly become reckless in a contracting one. I know too many people who've taken loans against their assets just to maintain a lifestyle that's no longer aligned with economic reality. Even if you feel like you’re on the responsible side, it’s best to err on the side of caution right now.
The same applies to your energy and attention. It’s a good idea to be intentional about where your resources—all of them—are going.
5. Focus on what's around you
Yes, stay informed about macroeconomic and political trends—but recognize the line between helpful awareness and anxiety-producing overconsumption of news.
Instead, redirect that energy toward what's immediately around you: your family, your team, your community. Be present for the people who depend on you. See where your neighborhood or town could use your support right now. That is how we contribute meaningfully to collective change.
Tap Your Collective
Speaking of collective—this is the moment to lean on the ecosystem around you, more than you ever have. Investors, mentors, therapists, coaches—people who are trained to help you navigate these moments.
We were never meant to build in siloes, and your ecosystem wants to support you. Your investors want you to seek advice. Your family wants you less stressed. Your friends want you to tell the truth about how you’re doing. Your employees want you at the top of your game. None of these people want a founder who pretends they don't need help in times like these.
The strongest leaders I know aren't those who never struggle. They're the ones who anticipate it, and build robust support systems around them so that even the worst times are manageable.
That’s all for now. As always, let me know how you’re doing, and if you’re looking for 1:1 support, get in touch.
Until next time,
H