It is what it is. We are where we are. This moment in 2025 feels like a bad dream to many, and the assault on the global economy was a tipping point for many worldwide. With that in mind, I’m devoting the next few weeks of my Daily Inspiration to addressing a key question: How do we lead through uncertainty? How do we lead ourselves — what’s our mindset? How do we lead others — how can we help? How do we lead our organizations — how do we keep moving forward? I spent a lot of time on this theme during and after the downturns of 2001, 2008, and again during 2020. There is a lot to revisit, and a lot to think about. The theme is ‘resilience,’ and we can all learn more about it.
Over the last five days, I’ve shared how we lead ourselves and our organizations through this moment of global volatility—one shaped by economic uncertainty, political instability, and cultural retreat from the future.
Beginning by reaffirming belief in progress, even when it feels stalled
Confronting fear with action
Challenging nostalgia with vision
Spotlighting innovation as the antidote to inertia
Emphasizing the importance of thinking across time horizons—managing today while preparing for tomorrow
But there's something deeper that sits underneath all of that: pressure..
That’s the real test—managing this moment. Keeping our heads on straight. Not letting the negativity consume us or define our future. If there’s one constant through every downturn, disruption, or crisis, it’s this: stress is the defining force of the moment. And how we respond to that stress—organizationally, personally, and strategically—determines whether we fall back, freeze up, or forge forward into what’s next.
That’s why today, it’s not just about planning for the future.
It’s about learning to adapt under pressure.
Every moment of disruption applies pressure. And pressure reveals everything. It reveals which organizations and individuals have foundations that flex, and which ones crumble. It reveals leaders who focus forward—and those who fold under volatility.
Right now, we’re not just navigating an economic downturn. We’re navigating a world defined by compounding stress—market stress, leadership stress, and system stress. But stress, when met with strategy, becomes fuel for the future.
I’ve written about this before: “It’s in our response to volatility that our future is defined.”
The most future-ready companies don’t panic. They channel pressure into progress. They don’t crumble under stress—they restructure, refocus, and realign. They transform pressure into precision—cutting noise, not capacity. They rethink agility, not just in structure but in mindset. They use stress as a forcing function—to do what needed doing all along.
My advice is clear: You don’t rebuild your organization for the next crisis. You rebuild during this one—for the world that follows.
Stress is unavoidable. But breaking is not.
Your future hinges not on whether you face stress—but what you do with it.
So when the tension rises, ask yourself:
Are you absorbing it, reacting to it—or are you adapting through it?
Because the organizations that thrive tomorrow are being stress-tested today.
And the ones who rise are the ones who adapt under pressure, not break because of it.
The future won’t be stress-free. But it will belong to those who grow stronger in the strain.
The Chinese are managing stress. Yesterday, what we can presume to be manufacturing companies began flooding TikTok with videos that outline how various luxury brands and branded products are made in the country - and how you can order them directly at 1/100th or so of up the grossed-up US price. Trade wars make for fast-moving circumstances! Here's a short compilation video. Talk about 'rising to the moment' and not breaking!
Talk about 'rising to the moment' and not breaking!
Futurist Jim Carroll is writing a powerful series on resilience in an era of volatility and uncertainty. So far, he’s explored belief over resignation, action over fear, vision over nostalgia, innovation over inertia, and adaptability over collapse — offering a roadmap for navigating disruption and accelerating into what’s next.