It’s kind of funny. I was sitting in my office recently, reading through my choice Thoughts for the upcoming Chaos issue after spending time with many of the insightful articles submitted by our writers.
And I noticed something: the chaos itself had me feeling a bit stuck and overwhelmed.
There’s just so much of it these days. We hear phrases like disruptive world order or unprecedented change so often that they almost lose their meaning – but the reality behind them is very real. Everywhere we look, there’s uncertainty, disruption, and complexity.
What struck me as I read through the submissions for this issue was a simple but powerful realization:
Chaos has become the context in which leadership now happens.
Many of our writers explore how chaos naturally triggers anxiety, stress, and overwhelm. These reactions are human. Leaders feel them. Coaches feel them. Organizations feel them.
But what also came through clearly in these articles is that the way we coached – and the way leaders led – before this massive wave of change simply isn’t enough anymore. The environment has shifted, and our approaches need to evolve along with it.
One theme appeared again and again across the submissions: before we help others navigate chaos, we must first prepare ourselves.
For coaches especially, the work begins even before the conversation starts. Preparing ourselves through grounding practices – breathing, somatic awareness, or simply slowing down – helps us arrive fully present.
When a coach is internally regulated, that sense of stability becomes available to the client. Our presence becomes a steadying force amid uncertainty.
Reading that back to myself was a moment of reflection. These are practices we know are important. In many ways, they are the foundations of good coaching.
But in this moment – given the pace of change and the level of disruption in the world – they feel more essential than ever.
Coaches and leaders are being called to show up differently. Not with all the answers, but with steadiness, awareness, and presence. Those qualities create the space where clarity, resilience, and possibility can begin to emerge.
So to all the coaches out there: coach on.
Let’s continue doing our best to support leaders as they navigate the chaos unfolding around us – because, whether we like it or not, it’s affecting all of us.
