This Will Pass (And Then Get Worse, Then Better, Then Worse Again)
How leaders stay sane in a world built to whipsaw them into madness.
“We come from people who brought us up to believe that life is a struggle, and if you should feel really happy, be patient: this will pass.” - Garrison Keillor
There’s something comforting about that line—not because it’s optimistic, but because it’s honest.
The people we come from didn’t go around promising sunshine and easy wins. They didn’t believe every problem had a silver lining or that happiness was a default setting. What they believed was simpler: life is hard, and the trick is learning to keep going anyway.
That mindset isn’t outdated. It’s essential. Especially now.
Whipsawed by the World
These days, leadership feels a lot like watching the news with one hand over your eyes. You peek out, see something encouraging, then flinch when the next headline hits.
One day, the trade war with the rest if the world is cooling off. The next, we’re back to tariffs, bans, mean tweets, or some new regulation that somehow affects everything from semiconductors to socks. The markets try to make sense of it all, reacting to policy changes, then reversals of those changes, then statements contradicting the reversals—all before lunch. Sometimes within the same hour.
It’s bigger than Trump and Xi. It’s not just the U.S. and China. The whole world seems to be operating on a hair trigger. Diplomacy by press release. Economic planning via tweet. Stability as a fleeting concept.
If you’re a leader hoping for clarity, good luck. But if you’re someone who expects the ride to be bumpy and unpredictable—well, you’re probably doing just fine.
The Curse of High Expectations
Somewhere along the way, we got sold the idea that leadership (and life) should feel good. That it should be energizing, inspiring, maybe even fun.
Sure, those moments exist. But they’re not the point. The leaders who stick around don’t build their careers on peak experiences. They build them on persistence.
If you walk into the room expecting smooth sailing, you’re going to panic the first time things get choppy. And they will get choppy. That’s not pessimism—it’s planning.
The trick is to keep your expectations grounded. Hope for the best, but don’t bet your team’s morale on it.
Endurance Beats Excitement
In the age of attention, excitement gets all the airtime. But endurance wins in the long run.
The work that matters most is rarely flashy. It’s routine. It’s deliberate. It’s the day-in, day-out grind of solving real problems, not just talking about them.
At B:Side, we’ve learned not to chase hype. We invest in substance. That means lending with care, building long-term partnerships, and showing up when it matters—not just when it’s convenient or trendy.
The best leaders I know don’t lead like performers. They lead like farmers. Patient. Practical. Willing to do the unglamorous work that keeps things growing.
Laugh, Then Get Back to Work
In times like these, a sense of humor isn’t just helpful—it’s necessary.
You can’t control global trade policy, interest rates, or whether a press conference will tank the market. What you can control is your reaction. And sometimes the healthiest one is to laugh, shake your head, and keep moving.
Leaders who take themselves too seriously usually fall apart when the script changes. Leaders who can laugh—who can see the absurdity without losing focus—tend to have staying power.
Model What You Want Others to Carry
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about shaping the culture that helps people keep going when there aren’t any.
Your team watches you more than they listen to you. If they see panic, they’ll absorb panic. If they see patience, steadiness, and quiet determination, they’ll start to reflect it.
That’s what the generations before us gave us: not easy answers, but usable resilience. They didn’t pretend things were fine. They just kept going.
We should do the same.
This Will Pass—But So Will the Good Stuff
It’s easy to focus on what’s hard. But here’s the part people forget: the good times pass too.
Success is fleeting. So is comfort. That new strategy that worked so well last year? Might already be stale. That win you just landed? Enjoy it—but don’t build your identity around it.
The leaders who last are the ones who don’t cling to outcomes. They keep working, keep serving, and keep leading—through the good, the bad, and the unpredictable.
So the next time you feel like things are finally smoothing out, maybe smile… but also glance at the horizon.
Because this will pass. All of it. And that’s exactly why it matters how you show up.