Explorer’s Blog 12: How to lead amidst serious distraction - First, You
One of the often unspoken demands of professional leadership is managing uncertainty, volatility, and the anxiety that stems from both. This is not part of the standard MBA curriculum nor is it typically addressed in leadership development programs. Yet, leaders need to know how to manage amidst uncertainty given we are in an “era of volatility,” based on multiple indicators and per McKinsey’s assessment.
So far 2026 has proven to be keeping us on the same opaque trajectory. In the past month alone we’ve experienced rampant uncertainty, fear and worry. We’re glued to our feeds, hungry for the next news update, anxious about what the latest information will reveal about the state of the world, of the markets, of our future. Thus the pressure on leaders to manage teams under stress is more content than ever.
HBR’s recent banner title, ‘When the World Is Too Distracting — and It Feels Impossible to Work’ jumped out at me. I took the time to read all 12 curated articles so you don’t have to. This is not an AI summary - though an interesting exercise would be to do a similar AI exercise and compare. Rather, these are human insights based on a combination of expert research and personal client coaching experience bringing it to life.
There was so much goodness in these articles, in fact, that I’m breaking it down into two posts over two months - the first Focusing on you, the second Your Leadership.
Shifts start with self-awareness - I say to clients regularly, you cannot change anything you are not aware of. If you want to engage with your work differently, to be less distracted and more focused, it all starts with increasing your awareness of your own distraction patterns.
Notice and name it - When you feel yourself turn from a focused task to a distraction - opening up an app or checking email again - it’s likely an attempt to avoid some discomfort. Notice and name what the discomfort is, what are you craving, what are you avoiding. See if labelling it reduces the need for distraction.
Write down your worries as they come up. Save them to address when you have time to focus on them.
“When we’re lonely, we check Facebook. When we’re uncertain we google. When we’re bored we check the news, stock prices, sports scores, you name it. All of these tools fundamentally cater to an uncomfortable sensation.” - Nir Eyal
Engage your emotions - Underneath that discomfort is an emotion. See if you can notice and name that. One way to strengthen your emotional intelligence is to acknowledge, label and accept emotions as they arise. Labeling alone makes the emotions that you feel subject to more object.
Write down the underlying sensation that leads to the distraction - were you feeling frustrated, stuck, lonely, anxious, etc. Accept that that is what arose in you. And get curious about it (instead of judging the feeling as good or bad) - what’s there for you?
Go further - reflect on the deeper cause(s). What is behind the emotion?
And more - how do you react when triggered? What physical reactions can you observe? What mental stories are present for you?
Distractions are costly: manage your time - It can take up to 20 minutes to refocus after a distraction, suggesting that there is a high cognitive cost to even momentary phone notifications or email checks. Research shows that positive time management can positively contribute to mental health. It’s worth the effort to retrain your brain to focus amidst distractions.
Uncertainty often leads to busyness - as an attempt to regain control, we create more tasks, more to do’s. Instead of alleviating anxiety, this increases exhaustion and adds stress. Avoid the temptation to add tasks for you and your team.
Set boundaries and honor them. Agree on, schedule and honor uninterrupted focus time at work, for yourself and your team. Remember that distractions are costly and focus takes practice.
Pause Practices are powerful tools to bring you back to the present and something I work on regularly with my coaching clients. Come back to your breath, the room, take a dance break or stretch out into a power pose.
What support and accountability do you need to help you honor your boundaries and practice focusing? Maybe it’s a lamp timer in your office that goes on/off at a certain time of day. I have a client who found a tool that would gradually dim her computer screen in the evening when she wanted to sign off but was regularly tempted to do ‘one more thing’.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” -Victor Frankl
Anchor into your values - I do a values exercise at the start of each client engagement, not just for my own learning about the individual, but so that they get insights into what matters most to them. In the merkiness of uncertainty, clarity on what is most important to you can light a path forward. Values are a way to focus on what we can control, channels for our energy and attention when things are unclear. Making time for what is important to you is grounding, especially when our environment feels chaotic.
Remember what matters and adjust - If you value collaborative engagement, then consider who you might reach out to today for a certain project or task. If you value family, how can you dedicate time this week to spend with family?
“When you’re overwhelmed, it feels like a lot of power and choices are being taken away from you,” she says. “But you still get to choose who you want to be. If one of your core values is to be collaborative, focus on that. How can you help people feel like part of the team?” - Susan David
Connect with others - In a leadership role, it can feel lonely at the top. But this is a false perception - you are not alone, or at least you do not have to be. Develop and tap into your own support system. Some call this your personal Board of Directors, Advisory Circle, etc. and it is an integral part of identifying the support and accountability that will propel you forward.
In summary - caring for yourself is part of your job. Again, for those in the back - cultivating your own capacity for emotional regulation amidst anxiety and pressure is part of your job. Emotional volatility - prone to significant mood swings, sudden fluctuations, etc. - is a common leadership trap that negatively impacts employee wellbeing. You need to be able to handle pressure, manage stress and exude composure. Not to the extent that you become a robotic boss - it is important to also tap into a sense of shared humanity - but it is critical that you balance empathy with composure. Becoming more self aware, labelling emotions behind distractions, managing your time and anchoring into values are practices that can help strengthen your composure under pressure. And know that progress is the goal, not perfection.
Source articles:
https://hbr.org/2020/05/leading-through-anxiety
https://hbr.org/2024/04/leading-a-company-that-can-thrive-in-a-chaotic-world
https://hbr.org/2020/05/5-ways-leaders-accidentally-stress-out-their-employees
https://hbr.org/2024/10/how-to-manage-a-distracted-team
https://hbr.org/2017/12/what-to-do-when-youre-feeling-distracted-at-work
⭐️ I am deeply invested in you being the best leader that you can be, and partner with clients on three things:
✅ Bringing calm to the chaos
✅ Having clarity in decision making
✅ Maintaining confidence in their leadership
That’s what you get when you work with me - ✨ calm, clarity, and confidence. Interested? Curious? Know someone who might benefit from this work? Let me know and let's explore, together.
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