If Work Is a Mess Right Now, Here's How to Lead Without Losing Yourself.
Leadership’s hard enough without whiplash. Let’s talk about how to survive it with your sanity intact.
Welcome to this week’s edition of Reframed by Ashley R. I write for high achieving professionals who rarely get the space to think through what they want next or how to lead in a way that actually works for them.
I'm Ashley Rudolph—a former tech executive turned coach for leaders and next-gen execs in the creative, tech, and lifestyle industries.
It’s no secret, people are navigating all kinds of chaos at work right now…
Maybe your company isn’t doing well and no one’s saying it out loud.
Maybe you’re trying your best to find a job.
Maybe your industry is going through major shifts.
Maybe you’re trying to track all the updates related to tariffs—the tariffs!?
That said, work is on a lot of people’s minds. And it feels different this time. It’s not just about managing your workload—it’s the sheer chaos of it all.
That chaos is showing up in a lot of the questions I’m helping people navigate lately. Whether it’s clients, friends, or folks in my DMs, there’s a pattern.
Employees and leaders are dealing with unprecedented levels of uncertainty. And with that uncertainty comes a lot of feelings like fear, confusion, frustration, and anxiety.
The impulse to check out.
The struggle to know what your role even is anymore.
But think about this, very few people know how to lead well in chaos. Most people either shrink, spin out of control, or silently disengage. But if you can learn to lead with clarity, calm, and discernment in moments like this moment we’re in right? You set yourself apart.
Doing that well is a skill. One that’s often overlooked. And if you’re reading this newsletter, you likely have emotional intelligence, a strategic brain, and a deep care for how things get done, which tells me you are built for it.
So what do you do when things feel unstable, the direction your company is headed is fuzzy, and you’re still expected to lead through it?
Let’s talk about it.
HOW TO WORK THROUGH IT: STRATEGIES AND TACTICS FOR NAVIGATING CHAOS AT WORK
1. Don’t become known for fighting everything.
A common cause of chaos is shifting priorities at the executive level. If you’re on the receiving end of these changes, you may resort to poking holes in the plan, the amount of the change, or the rationale (or lack of rationale) for the direction.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to learn in my career is that when things are in flux, it’s way too easy to become the person who pushes back on every change. Many people are capable of pinpointing problems. It’s not special to be able to point out everything that’s going wrong.
I get it.
It feels empowering to name the thing that no one is saying out loud when every new directive feels reactive. When the updates shared in every meeting don’t make sense, you feel the temptation to point it out. And let me just say this: sometimes, it really doesn’t make sense.
If you’re not careful, that frustration can start to define you. People stop seeing you as thoughtful and start seeing you as difficult. And even when you’re right, being right won’t help you if no one wants to work with you.
Be discerning, yes.
But make sure you’re also associated with momentum and contributing to moving things forward, not just poking holes in what’s broken.
I shared some strategies for how to navigate this at work, deep dive on that below.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT →
2. Zoom out and think in themes.
When everything feels chaotic, you lose your sense of direction and purpose. It can feel like you’re spinning your wheels and constantly reacting to whatever problems are right in front of you.
If you’re feeling that way, try zooming out and thinking about the future. Not two years, not five years, but just 6 to 12 months.
Ask yourself: What do I want my team, my function, or even myself to be known for by then?
Don’t think about specific projects, think about themes.
Some themes may be: wanting to innovate (innovation is a theme!), wanting to land a huge partnership, wanting a successful exit for your company in the future. All those things require you to take certain steps in the short and medium terms. Those steps can look like focusing on:
Staying up to date on the competitive landscape
Doing deep research on industry shifts and testing out new technologies
Deepening partnerships or identifying potential strategic partners
Improving your visibility and influence internally
Focusing on themes helps you figure out what matters most, so you can channel your energy strategically, instead of reacting to task list items that pop up.
Thinking about your work or your goals thematically also helps you see how new projects fit into those themes, instead of getting frustrated and focusing on the fact that the work itself is changing.
WORK WITH ME
→ Ready for a smarter strategy behind your next move?
That’s the work we do inside Elevate — a one-on-one coaching experience for high performers navigating career pivots, leadership growth, or defining what’s next.
3. Be intentional with your time.
The really great thing about being a high achiever is your bias towards action. It’s an edge that becomes a double edged sword in the face of instability. The impulse to say yes to everything is real and becomes a real drain.
I know you want to be seen as a team player. I also know you want to be useful. But the truth is, doing everything doesn’t make you helpful when you’re distracted by things that aren’t a good use of your time. It makes you unfocused.
You don’t want to be the person doing things that cause people to ask, “Why are they working on that right now? Can’t they read the room?”
So before offering your help or continuing to execute on your priorities without checking on whether they should still be priorities, ask yourself these 3 questions:
Is this still a priority?
Who is this serving?
Could I check in to see where I’m most needed instead?
Being intentional is a quiet differentiator. It shows that you’re not just working hard, it shows that you’re working smart and with context.
4. Create one small ritual that grounds you.
The thing about chaos, shifting priorities, and navigating ambiguity is that it lacks structure. And some high performers love structure and predictability. Some don’t need it.
If you’re someone who needs structure, then try to infuse some into your week. Give yourself what you need to be productive. You don’t always have to rely on someone else creating the structures you need to be successful.
Resist the urge to roll out a new org-wide process to try to control the chaos for everyone. Just pick one repeatable thing that you can do. Try something like:
A quick Monday check-in with your team: What’s one thing we need to accomplish this week?
A Friday note to yourself: What worked, what didn’t go well, and what’s up next?
That tiny bit of rhythm helps you feel steady, even if the rest of the org feels like it’s spinning.
And if you need additional strategies for managing stress and burnout, listen to the latest episode of my podcast with
The Impactful Conversations Effect. Our latest guest is Lissy Alden, we talked to her about navigating workplace stress, tools for coping with it, and the science behind it all. Listen here.IN CASE YOU MISSED IT →
5. Don’t spend your whole week diagnosing leadership in the group chat.
Yes—leadership might’ve made a bad call.
Yes—the strategy is probably unclear.
Yes—you and your coworkers are texting “WTF is happening??” multiple times a day.
It’s funny. It’s cathartic. Being in it together is validating.
But fixating on what leadership is doing wrong doesn’t help you lead better.
A lot of times it’s not some nefarious plot. The decisions are either financially driven or just regular people making decisions under pressure and sometimes making wrong bets in very visible ways. Sometimes it’s ego.
Give folks the benefit of the doubt when it makes sense.
Unless it’s an Elizabeth Holmes type situation. Then blow the whistle lol.
The energy you spend diagnosing their every misstep could be better spent asking yourself:
What can I learn from this situation? And what can I do to adapt to the change?
What would I do differently and how can I practice that now? Focus on what you and your team can execute on.
How do I stay grounded instead of reactive?
Vent in the group chat but don’t let it consume you. Stay focused on what you’re building.
THE WRAP UP: CLOSING THOUGHTS
Here’s what I want to leave you with. If you’re in the midst of chaos right now and trying to lead when nothing feels clear, I just want you to know:
You’re not doing it wrong. The environment is just really hard right now and you need different coping mechanisms.
You don’t need to have all the answers.
You don’t need to hold it all together all the time.
AND…IF THE CHAOS MADE YOU LOSE YOUR COOL, READ MY NEWSLETTER FROM TWO WEEKS AGO →
The way you move through this moment—the posture you take, the presence you bring—that’s your leadership in action.
Even in chaos, you still have choices.
Even in uncertainty, you still have influence.
Even in this, you’re still building something.
Mastering how to lead through chaos isn’t just about survival. It’s about shaping how you’re seen—and how you see yourself. This is how reputations are built. This is how trust is earned. This is how you build your legacy.
If you’re the one who can navigate the mess with intention? People remember that. And they follow it.
Good luck! See you next week.
Ashley
You’ll want to screenshot this →
I buried the lede, here’s this week’s visual. What it feels like to go from being consumed by the chaos around you to adapting, moving with discernment and experiencing forward momentum.
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WOW this is so spot-on, so practical, so real. You're inside my brain.
This was super helpful!!! Thanks for writing, definitely sharing with friends. I always get trapped in pointing out problems when there’s big organizational change, but I can see why it’s beneficial to hold back a bit.