By Craig Lourens: ActionCOACH Business Coach
There is a lot of tension in the business community right now. You’re hearing it in conversation; you’re hearing it in decision-making; and you’re hearing it in the tone of even the most experienced leaders.
WhatsApp Coach Craig:
+27 (0) 79 388 5709 or email
craiglourens@actioncoach.com
and he will point you in the right
direction to get you started. © Plumbing Africa
Rising fuel prices are no longer just an economic statistic, they’re a daily pressure on margins, logistics and pricing models. Every increase ripples through supply chains and lands squarely on the shoulders of business owners. But beneath that very real financial concern is something deeper: A mindset change.
More and more business owners, even a large number of plumbers, it seems, are going from a growth mindset to a fixed one. And so, the question is no longer “How do we solve this?”; it is now: “Can we even survive this?”
Layering on top of that is a growing crisis of self-belief. Leaders are quietly questioning their own capacity:
• Do I have what it takes to navigate this?
• Am I making the right decisions?
• What if I get this wrong?
And all of this is happening in a world that is increasingly polarised, where collaboration is harder, compromise is rarer and certainty seems out of reach.
The result? Overwhelm. Hesitation. Insecurity.
And yet this is exactly the moment that defines great businesses and great leaders. Because as many retreat, a few will rise. Here are five strategies you can action to be one of them.
1. Reclaim control through your numbers
When fear rises, clarity must rise faster.
Fuel price increases, inflation and cost pressures are real, but uncertainty becomes dangerous when it’s vague. When you don’t know your numbers, your brain fills the gap with worst-case scenarios. Great business owners don’t guess, they measure.
Ask yourself:
• What is the exact impact of fuel increases on my cost base?
• Where are my margins under pressure, and where are they still strong?
• What are my break-even points under different scenarios?
This is the point when many leaders go into a trap of thinking finance is the accountant’s job. It’s not. Your accountant reports the numbers. You lead from them. Clarity creates control. Control reduces fear. And when you know your numbers, you stop reacting emotionally and start responding strategically.
2. Shift back to a growth mindset, intentionally
A growth mindset doesn’t happen by accident, especially in tough environments. In fact, pressure naturally pushes people into a fixed mindset. Are you hearing …
• “The market is too tough.”
• “Customers aren’t spending on maintenance anymore.”
• “There’s nothing we can do.”
That thinking seems logical, but it’s dangerous. Because it removes responsibility… and with it, power.
A growth mindset sounds different:
• “What can we do differently?”
• “Where are the opportunities others are missing?”
• “How do we adapt faster than the market?”
The truth is that constraints can inspire innovation. Some of the best businesses in history were formed during economic downturns, and not because everything was easy to build, but because leaders chose to think differently. Mindset is not motivational fluff. It’s a commercial advantage. And as with any discipline, it needs to be reinforced daily.
3. Boost your leadership identity
And today, many business owners are not only fighting against the market, but against themselves. That quiet voice of doubt: “Am I good enough?” or “Can I handle this?”
Let’s be clear. All leaders, even the best, have those thoughts. The difference is what they do next. Great leaders don’t wait to feel confident before they go ahead and act. They act on the basis of the feeling and they build confidence on the basis of action. This is where identity matters.
And so rather than asking: “Can I cope with this?” ask: “Who does my business need me to be right now?”
Step into that role:
• More decisive
• More focused
• More disciplined
• More visible
Confidence is not necessary for leadership. It’s a byproduct of it.
4. Simplify to reduce overwhelm
When the world seems so complicated, it’s not ‘do more’ – it’s just ‘simplify’. Overwhelm often comes from:
• There are too many priorities
• There are too many ideas
• There are too many unresolved decisions
In uncertain times, simplicity becomes a superpower. Bring your business back down to basics:
What are the 3–5 key priorities for the next 90 days?
• What must we execute exceptionally well?
This is where your operating rhythm is crucial. If your daily routine is to deliver results, you need to tie it to a disciplined weekly cadence.
This is simply a disciplined weekly routine of measuring performance, analysing it, addressing issues, seeking opportunities and planning the next week. You don’t need to solve everything. You just need to do the right things in the next right way consistently.
5. Connect in a divided world
We are in an increasingly polarised time. Opinions are stronger. Patience is thin. Collaboration is hard. Yet business has always been about people and will always be about people. Leaders who will thrive are those who:
• Build trust intentionally
• Listen more than they speak
• Seek understanding before agreement
Inside your business:
• Improve your team culture
• Communicate more often and transparently
• Create psychological safety
Outside your business:
• Create relationships with clients
• Partner with suppliers
• Establish networks of support
In a market in which division is common, connection is an advantage.
Final thought: This is a leadership moment
It is easy to lead when the conditions are right. But that’s not the case when leadership is tested. Right now, many business owners are feeling the pressure of uncertainty, rising costs, changing markets, internal doubt and external noise.
That’s real. But so is this: You don’t need perfect conditions to build a great business. You need clarity, discipline and the courage to act.
The businesses that will be successful are not the ones with the least challenges. They are those led by people who:
• Face reality
• Take ownership
• Stay focused
• Move on, one decision at a time
So, if you are feeling the pressure right now, take a moment – breathe, refocus and remember: “This is not the time to shrink back. This is the time to step up.”
Because on the other side of uncertainty… is opportunity. And it belongs to those who choose to lead.
