You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.
– Steve Jobs
This beautiful quote is from Steve Jobs’ Stanford commencement speech and it reminds us that clarity often arrives much later than we’d like and that trust is the bridge between uncertainty and understanding.
We are often faced with moments that shake us: a restructuring, a change in leadership or a project cancellation, in all cases – a sudden shift in direction. The initial shock can feel like the ground disappearing beneath us. Our nervous system goes into overdrive. Our mind races for answers: Why this? Why now? What does it mean for me?
This is the space between what was and what will be, a space that tests both our presence and our leadership.
Step 1: Pause and feel
The first impulse is often to react, to fix, to do. But leadership begins in the body, not the mind.
Notice your breath. Feel your feet on the ground. Acknowledge the impact. You’ve just experienced a change that touches not only your role, but your sense of safety and identity. Give yourself permission to feel before you act.
Step 2: Ask the right questions
Once the initial shock ends, clarity begins with two questions:
- How much time do I have?
Is this an immediate decision or a process? - What is within my power?
Focus on what you can influence: your mindset, preparation, communication, your next small step.
When we focus on what’s in our power, we shift from helplessness to action.
Step 3: Trust the process even when you can’t see the whole picture
Sometimes it’s incredibly hard to accept that change is happening for us, not to us.
We rarely know in the moment how a disruption might be the thing that leads us to growth or freedom later on. The project that ended may make space for something that truly fits your purpose.
Trust the moment. Trust that one day, you’ll look back and see the dots connected perfectly.
