Leading Through Chaos

Let me ask you something: If your leadership had a backpack, what would be inside?

Stress? Budgets? A never-ending to-do list? Family expectations? Maybe some imposter syndrome tucked between emails that still need answering?

If you’re nodding your head right now, you’re not alone.

For many of us, the weight we carry is not just about the job. It’s about the invisible load too. The expectations. The bias. The emotional labor. The “smile and be strong” on days when you feel anything but.

I recently had the honor of training a group of women educators—brilliant, battle-tested women leading entire school districts in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The session was called Anchored Together: Leading Through Chaos, and it wasn’t just a title. It was a testimony.

We’re Leading in a Landscape That Wasn’t Built for Us

Let’s talk about what the data shows. Because while your lived experience is valid all on its own, sometimes seeing the numbers laid out is a reminder that it’s not just you—it’s the system.

• Women make up nearly 47% of the U.S. workforce, but hold only 32% of senior leadership roles.

• Despite years of progress, only 10.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women—the highest ever, but still far from parity.

• A 2024 Mercer study found that 82% of U.S. workers are at risk of burnout—and women in leadership are at the highest risk, often juggling emotional labor and performance pressures in unequal environments.

• Most women leaders report being held to higher standards, facing greater scrutiny, and making more personal sacrifices than their male peers.

But here's the good news—yes, there is some.

Companies with more women in leadership are 25% more likely to outperform their peers. Diverse leadership isn’t just a checkbox—it’s a competitive advantage.

That’s right: our leadership isn’t just powerful—it’s profitable.

And yet, too many of us are still leading in isolation. Innovating in silence. Managing through chaos without a safety net.

So we asked a powerful question in the room: What anchors you when the storm hits?

Start with Why.

I invited the participants to do an exercise based on Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle—a framework that helps us tap into the power behind our leadership by answering three questions:

WHY do you lead?

HOW do you lead?

WHAT do you lead?

And whew—the reflections were powerful.

When you reconnect with your “why,” you remember that your leadership is more than a title. It’s a calling. Maybe you lead to break cycles. To give voice to the voiceless. To make room at the table for the next generation.

How you lead might be with heart. With clarity. With resilience that doesn’t get enough applause.

And what you lead? It’s not just a team. It’s a movement. A legacy.

When we got up to share, the whole room shifted. You could feel the alignment. The power. The possibility.

The Three People Every Leader Needs

One of the biggest takeaways from the session came near the end, when we talked about the three types of relationships every woman in leadership needs to not just survive—but sustain.

1. The Mentor – Wisdom & Perspective

   She’s been where you’re going. She sees the forest when you’re stuck in the weeds.

2. The Coach – Challenge & Clarity

   She stretches you. Holds the mirror up. Pushes you, lovingly, to grow.

3. The Peer Ally – Trust & Truth

   The one you can text when you’re at your limit. The one who says, “Me too,” and means it.

If you're missing one of these people in your circle, that’s your next leadership move. Don’t just build your résumé—build your relationships.

Let’s Be Anchored—Not Alone

As we closed, I asked everyone to make a simple commitment:

What’s one thing you can do in the next 30 days to invest in your leadership well-being or your peer community?

It didn’t have to be big. It just had to be intentional.

Sometimes anchoring yourself is as simple as creating space to think. Calling that mentor you’ve been meaning to reach out to. Blocking time on your calendar for rest—not as a reward, but as a requirement.

Because here’s the truth: Leading through chaos isn’t new to us. We’ve been doing it for years. But leading anchored in each other? That’s the shift. That’s the strategy.

Let’s stay anchored. Together.