Staying the Course When Everything Is Up in the Air

Part of a More Helpful Mindset for Leading in an Uncertain World

From this weekend’s hike. Photo credit to my son, Julian.

When the world is as wildly distracting as it is right now, it can be hard some days to stay the course and give our best even to things we value highly—whether that’s work, a worthy social mission, or countless other meaningful things. 

I know this all too well from experience. Over the past week, I’ve spent an unhealthy number of hours checking for news updates, as if getting some certainty about where America is heading is necessary to carry on with my life and whatever I may have to contribute.

I know I am not alone. So many of us are on edge—watching, waiting, wondering—and it’s costing us. It has been for quite some time. 

In the workplace, 60 percent of workers cannot go for 30 minutes without being distracted, according to research published in Fortune Magazine last week. This diminishes our productivity, performance, and well-being. For example:

• A study by the University of California, Irvine, found that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to a task after being distracted. 

• A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance found that even brief disruptions can reduce the quality of work.

• A Journal of Applied Psychology study found that distracted employees are likelier to report feeling exhausted. 

Of course, our distractability is due to more than just the big news of the moment. It’s also due to a 24/7 culture that we are not wired to navigate effectively, the sophisticated pull of social media, and our anxiety about the uncertain state of the world. 

So, what do we do? 

The Many Values of Staying the Course 

I have a client who drives race cars for fun. Once, when he was out practicing, he became worried about hitting a brick wall close to a bend in the track. 

“Wherever you look,” his instructor told him, “that’s where you will go.”

So, as natural as it felt for him to look at the wall he wanted to avoid hitting, he had to force himself to look at the course where he wanted to go. 

Likewise, as natural as it is for us to watch the unfolding of events that may concern us and even engage in some realistic contingency planning, it is also wise to maintain a clear focus on where we want to go. 

After all, whatever happens in the larger world, focusing on our purposeful goals is better for our well-being, for other people we may inspire to get involved by our example, and for whatever corner of the world we inhabit. 

Three Questions to Stay (or Get) on Track

So, next time world developments beckon to pull your attention away from doing whatever good thing you are doing, consider reminding yourself of your answers to these simple but important questions: 

1. What good work is in my control? 

2. How might I help others by being a model of focus, determination, and hope?

3. At the end of the day, what value will I have created from my actions? 

This is one of many ways we have to develop a more helpful mindset for leading through uncertainty—which, after all, is likely to be the measure of things for a spell. 

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