Chaos is often the way we describe rapid change – a state of extreme disorder, unpredictability or lack of structure. Chaos can be caused by the unexpected (such as the Los Angeles fires) or the deliberate (such as layoffs and rapid shifts in U.S. policy). In times of mass layoffs, corporate upheavals, and government restructurings, the very fabric of our understanding—our “sensemaking”—is ruptured. When established norms are suddenly upended, we experience what we call “chaos” – and sensemaking is scarce.
Some leaders, whether by design or circumstance, wield chaos as a tool. By introducing unpredictability—rapid changes, conflicting directives, unexpected initiatives or rule removals—leaders create an environment of disorientation, confusion, and even fear. Disruption can serve strategic purposes: shaking up complacency, eliminating opposition, or creating space for new power dynamics. But for those on the receiving end, this level of change (chaos) can feel overwhelming, destabilizing, and deeply unsettling. How do we make sense of the world when it seems that the rules we knew no longer exist?
The Secret to Navigating Chaos: Remember This
Human beings have been adapting to change—and even chaos—since God was a boy. When we forget our innate ability to adapt, we get stuck. Stunned by changes, we are yearning for how things used to be rather than engaging with how things actually are.
While rapid change creates increased uncertainty about the future, notice that the future is always uncertain. Worrying about the future is built on a false premise: namely, that you can predict the future. There’s no way to know exactly what new changes – what some might call “chaos” – will bring.
What we can know is what we will bring into that future. You always have the ability to choose how you respond to your circumstances – even the ones that you didn’t ask for, don’t want, and would rather avoid. Chaos doesn’t have to stop you from progress. Indeed, Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl may have said it best: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
The truth is that resilience – the ability to adapt to change and bounce back from hardship – is hardwired into us. Resilience is not an optional skill reserved for “those lucky folks, out there” – it’s a defining characteristic for all of us. Adaptability (resilience) is how second marriages happen, how champions are made and how new strengths are discovered. Humans have always found ways to navigate disruption and chaos. What is it that you are forgetting, when it comes to your own ability to adapt?
Chaos is Uncomfortable. Here’s Why.
When confronted with leadership-driven chaos, it helps to recognize that you have faced the unexpected before. Leaders who exploit uncertainty may count on confusion, but self-leadership provides clarity.
Leadership chaos is similar to the room of 10,000 demons. You know the story: You enter a vast, dark room filled with 10,000 demons. Each one whispers, shouts, or screams at you—telling you lies, fears, and doubts. (It’s the gaslight chamber). They tell you that you will fail, that you are lost, that you are unworthy, that there is no way out. Some may try to tempt you, while others try to terrify you.
The only rule is this: You must keep walking. No matter what they say, no matter how real their voices seem, you must not stop, and you must never believe those demons.
If you stop, you will be consumed by fear, trapped by their illusions. But if you continue walking—steadily, resolutely—you will eventually reach the other side, and when you do, you will look back and see that the demons were never real to begin with. They were merely projections of doubt and fear, designed to test your resolve.
Here are some additional reminders that can help when facing leadership chaos.
Responding to Workplace Uncertainty: Start Here
- Memory Makes the Future – Think back to previous times when you faced the unexpected. How did you adapt? What worked? What did you learn? If you’re reading these words, remember: you made it through the pandemic. Some were not so lucky. But somehow, here you are. Nobody likes chaos -but that doesn’t mean we can’t face it, and find our way through it.
- Control What You Can – How you show up, and how you respond, is always within your control. When large-scale disruptions occur, focus on what is within your sphere of influence. Your reactions and choices remain in your control, even when external circumstances do not.
- Find Anchors in Stability – Even in turbulent times, certain aspects of life and work remain constant. Notice what you are wishing for, versus what really is. Identify the anchors inside of your values and lean on them for stability. Can you acknowledge your circumstances (even if you’re not ready to accept them just yet)?
- Stay Agile, Not Rigid – Those who rigidly resist change (by wishing for what’s gone and talking about that “spilt milk” we have all cried over) will always suffer the most from it. What if this chaos – unwanted as it may be – is an opportunity to adapt and grow?
When leaders use chaos as a strategy, resilience is the counter-strategy. And action is the antidote. It’s easy to think that we can’t do anything when the rules have changed. But just because you can’t do some things doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. Even in the midst of chaos, you are capable.
Edison famously said, “There is a way to do it better. Find it.” When confronted with chaos, it’s easy to feel all the feelings: loss, sadness, confusion, frustration…what’s on your list today? But moving through chaos requires just that: movement. In other words, action. When we move from a state orientation (“how am I doing?”) to action orientation (“what needs to be done?”) we regain our agency. We keep walking, through the room of demons, beyond the gaslight chamber…moving past the chaos. We see what is possible, even when some options have changed – or completely disappeared.
By recognizing adaptability and drawing from past experiences, we reclaim our agency. We find new options. That’s how resilience works. The world is always changing, and sometimes that change is forced upon us in ways that feel disruptive and unfair. But human resilience has carried us through countless upheavals before, and it will again. The key is to recognize that chaos comes and goes; the ability to adapt is what always remains.