By Louisa Loran
Leaders often face the challenge of navigating constant change, where the instinct is to signal involvement, substituting activity for progress and leading only to busyness. True progress comes from composure and intentional focus. By aligning actions with long-term direction, fostering collaboration, and embracing calculated risks, leaders can drive meaningful transformation amid uncertainty and rapid technological change.
Leaders find themselves caught in a whirlwind of activity, balancing geopolitical pressures, anticipating the trajectory of AI, and reacting to constant shifts in markets, technology, and regulation. Yet in the noise of relentless change – and in some cases, the quest to appear busy – real progress comes from composure paired with strong intent and seeing one’s proposition clearly enough to focus on the few signals that will truly shape the future. The first step is self-reflection on these four pivotal questions:
- Am I using disruption as a tool to uncover vulnerabilities, so we can focus our efforts where they’ll make the most impact?
- In this fast-moving environment, am I aligning every immediate action to our long-term priorities, ensuring we aren’t just moving fast but moving wisely?
- Rather than simply assigning tasks, do I help teams connect and understand how their contributions resonate within a collective effort to reshape the business?
- Am I attuning ourselves to identify the essential signals in the noise, acting on what holds the most opportunity and positions us to respond effectively in any circumstance?
The Pitfalls of Busyness
Having worked with many partners across my executive career at Google, Maersk, and Diageo, and most recently leading strategic business transformation for Google’s largest customers across multiple continents, I have unfortunately seen too often how activity, when not aligned with strategic purpose, can detract from progress, no matter how ambitious the goals may be. When leaders chase every new trend, whether a “transformation project” or the latest initiative, organizations risk being overwhelmed by disconnected actions. Life and business are in constant change, but without clear direction, this motion becomes a cycle that drains valuable resources instead of driving progress.
This issue is exacerbated by technological advancements—not just through the pressure to adopt the latest tools but by the need to stay ahead of disruptions to business models. Too often, it is forgotten that it is not the quantity of initiatives that counts; it’s the quality of the decisions that matters: knowing which opportunities align with long-term goals and investing in them wisely.
From Reacting to Instigating
To resist the trap of busyness means not focusing on the quest for perfection but instead making intentional moves in the midst of uncertainty—building for optionality not through risk charts but through ongoing dialogue with market reactions. Leaders who focus on a clear direction and show the courage to navigate ambiguity can also bring their wavering teams with them.
A key aspect of this shift is fostering a culture comfortable with change and uncertainty. In such environments, disruption isn’t feared but welcomed as a catalyst for innovation and growth. A readiness to challenge the status quo and test new approaches becomes the foundation for agile decision-making and an opportunity for learning, not simply a way to generate quick wins.
Clarity of Direction
Without a clear direction, organizations are like ships adrift at sea—moving fast but going nowhere. In times of so much change, the urge to show activity and to control the uncontrollable can drive leaders to cling even more tightly to outdated practices and assumptions. Pushing hard on everyone, losing momentum in key places, or failing to let go of the wrong things wastes energy just as surely as moving without direction.
It is essential for leaders to articulate a compelling vision that provides direction—not rigid targets, but a forward-looking proposition that everyone can contribute to. A shared vision enables leaders and teams to imagine their roles in the future business strategy, aligning efforts toward common ambitions. Instead of reacting to external pressures, leaders with clarity of direction empower their teams to stay aligned with long-term objectives and navigate the market together.
From Busy Teams to Connected Teams
As teams unite by a shared ambition, team structures become only reference points and collaboration becomes a multiplier for growth. When work is done in silos, even the best intentions can spiral into busy-work for others, making it essential-especially as AI becomes a colleague and partners change continuously -to foster a mindset where silos don’t exist.
Creating line of sight into how contributions tie into the broader organizational effort, and maintaining accountability for each contribution, encourages cross-functional collaboration that unlocks unseen potential across the business. Just as strong infrastructure depends on the best available materials, organizational growth thrives on collective intelligence.
Connecting across teams should not be incidental, it should be a core expectation. Cultures that reward shared gains and prioritizing efforts together ensure that activity serves impact, not just appearance. When leaders recognize and reinforce these behaviors, collaboration stops being an extra task and becomes the way meaningful work gets done.
Acknowledging Risk to Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity
The most successful leaders are not those who avoid risk, but those who embrace it. Curiosity, fueled by a willingness to experiment, is a key driver of innovation. Experimentation isn’t about random trial and error, but about fostering purposeful exploration, becoming a pathway for learning and growth, iteration, and quick adaptation without falling into the trap of experimenting for its own sake.
Leaders who embed a culture of continuous improvement, where new ideas are looked at with curiosity and strategic sharpness, avoid loss of focus and drains on resources while also being willing to let go of initiatives that no longer serve the organization’s evolving goals.
The Strategic Value of a Clear Mind
The increased need for sound judgment, distinguishing between what is valuable information and what is simply noise becomes even more urgent in the age of AI and rapid technological change. Neuroscience shows that when under stress, our brains prioritize speed over accuracy, activating the amygdala—the area responsible for emotional responses, while suppressing the brain’s broader capacity for strategic thinking. In a leadership context, this is most often seen in the rush to appear busy and important, triggering reactive behaviors instead of thoughtful, strategic decision-making.
Leaders who manage their own stress responses and maintain mental clarity create strategic value for their organizations. By resisting the urge to chase every new trend, they can prioritize initiatives that align with their vision and long-term goals. Rather than getting swept up in the noise, they provide a clear path forward, enabling their teams to focus on meaningful, impactful work.
True transformation begins with the courage to step out of the busyness and focus on what truly drives value. By filtering information critically and being conscious of our natural tendency to prioritize speed over accuracy, one of the most essential steps in a changing world is to calm ourselves, see clearer, move wiser, and accelerate faster.
Louisa Loran
