Leading Through Chaos II - Unveiling the Hidden Traits of Strategic Leadership

 Are You Ready to Harness the Gale?

Buckle up, you small and medium-size business captains—in Part I, we mapped out the seven pillars of strategic leadership:

1. VISION to spot the horizon,
2. EQ to rally your crew,
3. COMMUNICATION to chart the course,
4. PLANNING to bridge the gaps,
5. MOTIVATION to fuel the fire,
6. CELEBRATION to lift spirits, and
7. RESILIENCE to ride the waves.

These are what make your ship’s hull solid, seaworthy, and ready for stormy economic weather.  Today it's tariffs, the AI revolution, and Trump 2.0 driving the winds and the waves.  Who knows what's driving the winds of the next gale?  But driving through a storm takes more than a strong hull. You need hidden gear to steer when the fog rolls in and the winds howl.

Welcome to Part II, where we uncover eight secret weapons—traits like thriving in ambiguity, sparking curiosity, and building legacies—that turn good leaders into legendary captains. These are more than skills; they’re the rigging that steadies your ship and the sails that catch the storm’s power. Think Elon Musk betting on SpaceX when rockets crashed, or Satya Nadella seeing beyond the cloud to reshape Microsoft. These traits are your edge in 2025—with inflation at 3.7%, AI hitting 30% of jobs (McKinsey), and societal division churning the waters. Let’s dive in.

Eight Hidden Traits to Steer Your SMB

These aren’t buzzwords—these are the quiet strengths that let you lead boldly when others hunker down.

1. Comfort with Ambiguity: Navigating the Fog

Businesses crave comfort and certainty, but business dynasties are built when the leader is OK with not knowing all the answers.  it's not quite like navigating without a chart; it's more like dead reckoning—sailing forward without knowing exactly where on the chart you are.  That’s ambiguity—making calls when the horizon’s gone. SMBs live it daily: Will that new hire pan out? Will tariffs sink margins? This trait keeps you sailing.

Jeff Bezos couldn't wait for a clear e-commerce playbook. In 1999, Amazon was bleeding cash, and Jeff doubled down beyond books. When the dot-com storm hit, he’d already rigged AWS—turning a bookstore into a titan.

Try This: Pick a small gamble—like tweaking a product price—with what you know now. Adjust as you sail. It’s called dead reckoning.  It helped Columbus discover America.  Think what it can do for your business.

2. Curiosity as a Discipline: Spotting New Horizons

Curiosity is a mindset; disciplined curiosity is a skill.  It's the difference between scanning the horizon for something interesting and using your spyglass to focus on what's important in your voyage.  Instead of using ChatGPT or Grok like Google 2.0, it's using it to brainstorm, innovate, challenge - it's leveraging AI to juice productivity by 20% (Gartner, 2025) without breaking the bank.

When Reed Hastings was trying to figure out how Netflix could leapfrog past Blockbuster, he did more than just ditch DVDs for streaming. He dug into tech trends and geeked out over sci-fi with his crew, dreaming up Netflix’s next wave. Curiosity made Stranger Things a household name.

Try This: Carve out 30 minutes this week to poke into something wild—say, blockchain or green tech. Ask, “Could this shift our course?” Scan the seas for treasure.

3. Mastery of Subtle Influence: Nudging the Helm

Once the course is set, the best helmsmen keep the ship on its heading with minimum amount of rudder.  Influence is the gentle hand that keeps your business on track.  It's what SMBs need when tech upgrades spook half your crew (50% resist, per X).

Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo couldn't force the company into health food. Instead, she ate with workers and pitched it as their legacy evolving—not ending.  These subtle nudges made a soda giant a wellness player.

Try This: Next huddle, ask, “What’s one fix you’d make?”  Maybe it's a subtle nudge, the quiet tweak to the rudder, that keeps your company on course.

4. Anticipating Second-Order Consequences: Reading the Waves

Big storms make big waves, but not all in the same direction.  A "forehanded" captain anticipates the interplay of the waves looking for a way forward that can help the ship get through safely and (maybe) more quickly.  You decide to cut costs by incorporating Ai into some of your business processes, and people begin feeling their jobs are threatened and start looking to jump ship.  But, AI may also help train your best employees to be even more productive in your company.  This trait spots the waves beyond the splash.

Satya Nadella didn’t just chase cloud cash; he saw Azure rewriting tech’s playbook. Microsoft’s trillion-dollar climb started with his long-range periscope.

Try This: Before making a call—like outsourcing a task—ask “Then what?” three times. Will it free time? Stress staff? Plan ahead—it’s your lookout in the crow’s nest.

5. Self-Regulation Under Pressure: Steady in the Gale

Storms hit SMBs hard—cash dips, clients bolt. Staying calm keeps your crew from panicking, and gives them the confidence to attend to their duties.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela faced a crowd ready to riot. One Springboks jersey and a smile later, he’d steadied a nation. Cool heads turn chaos into calm.

Try This: Before a crisis chat, try the "box breathing" technique used by Navy SEALs:  breathe deep: in to the count of 4, hold to the count of  4, out to the count of 4, hold to the count of 4.  Feel the calm.  It’s your anchor when the deck’s rocking.

6. Capacity to Hold Contradictions: Sailing Between Rocks

Growth or cash flow? Expansion or caution? This trait weaves opposites into strength, like a captain threading his way through the shoals.

Lee Kuan Yew mixed tight control with open trade in Singapore. No either/or—just a tiny island turned global powerhouse.

Try This: Jot down two clashing goals—like speed vs. quality. Brainstorm a both-and fix, like training for both. Steer through the narrows.

7. Building a Legacy Through Others: Raising Your Crew

The best leaders build teams that don't need them which creates the morale that inspires excellence.  Mentoring cuts turnover—40% of SMB folks eye the exit (X, 2024)—and grows your ship’s soul.

Maria, with a 50-head manufacturing outfit, coaches her engineer to lead. When she steps off, he’s her legacy at the helm.

Try This: Spend 10 minutes weekly teaching one crewmate a trick—like reading P&L. Plant a mast that stands tall.

8. Comfort with Being Misunderstood: Charting the Unknown

Ship captains have been called, "the last true monarch on earth."  Ultimately, they're responsible for their ship, like you are for your business.  Not everyone will understand your decisions  Bold calls—like innovating a new department, slashing hours, or moving away from a "proven" technology—draw doubters. This trait lets you hold course.

Alex, running a 20-person agency, went to four-day weeks. Gripes faded when output jumped. He sailed past the naysayers.

Try This: Float a wild idea—like a new niche. Stick to it through squawks. Blaze a trail they’ll follow later.

Your Turn: Catch the Wind

These traits are your secret rigging—tools to not just survive but soar. Pick one—say, curiosity or calm—and test it this week. Tell me below: How’d it go? Let’s swap tales and sharpen each other. The storm’s here—tariffs, AI, all of it—but the best captains turn gales into speed.

Missed Part I? Catch it here for the seven pillars.
Drop a comment or connect—I’m here to navigate this with you. Ready to lead your SMB like a captain in 2025? Let’s sail!