Calm Over Chaos: How Your Energy Shapes Your Team in December
Dec 06, 2025December looks calm on the outside, but inside, many leaders are screaming into a Christmas ham.
If you’re running on caffeine, shortbread and sheer willpower, you’re very much not alone.
This week’s theme is Calm Over Chaos, because your stress is contagious… and so is your calm.
The Month That Sneaks Up on Us All
I know firsthand how December can creep up and suddenly turn into a plate-spinning circus.
One season in particular stands out. I was juggling end-of-year parties, school events, Christmas shopping, finalising projects, trying to be present for my team, and “be a great mum” on top of it all.
You know when you’re spinning SO many plates… and each one needs your constant attention… and you keep telling yourself, “Just a bit further… I can do this…”?
Well, I kept all the plates spinning — until they didn’t.
One night, after weeks of trying to hold it all together, I ended up a crying, exhausted heap on the floor. I felt like I was letting my team down. I felt like a bad mum. I felt disorganised, overwhelmed, and wrung out.
That’s when the truth landed hard:
Pushing harder isn’t the same as leading smarter.
Momentum is not the same as productivity.
And being constantly “on” is absolutely not sustainable.
What I learned the hard way is something I now teach every leader I coach:
Your energy is your most powerful leadership tool.
If you don’t regulate it, it will regulate you.
Your Stress Is Contagious — But So Is Your Calm
December brings out a very specific kind of leadership. Let’s call it panic leadership.
It looks like:
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pacing the office like a stressed meerkat
-
firing off 7pm emails
-
rushing through conversations
-
muttering “we just need to get through this week…”
-
unintentionally pushing pressure down to the team
The kicker? Your team absorbs that energy like emotional WiFi.
But here’s the good news:
When you slow your voice… breathe… prioritise… and make decisions without panic energy…
→ Your team breathes too
→ Meetings get clearer
→ Mistakes reduce
→ Psychological safety rises
Calm is not passive. Calm is strategic. Especially now.
This Week’s Leadership Challenge
Before you open your inbox each morning, pause and ask yourself:
“What energy am I leading with today?”
Whatever you broadcast… your team will amplify.
Lead lightly. Your January self — and your team — will thank you.
Watch, Listen, and Go Deeper
🎥 This week’s 3-minute leadership video:
How Calm Leadership Stops Team Chaos
https://youtu.be/y_BiIeS17P8
🎧 Podcast episode:
Breathe, It’s December
https://www.edgeofpossibilities.com.au/podcasts/leading-from-the-edge-podcast/episodes/2149127716
Download Your Free December Support Tool
If you want a simple, feel-good way to finish the year proud, grounded, and significantly less frazzled, download my free 10-Minute Leader Glow-Up — a zero-pressure reflection to help you close out 2024 with clarity and calm.
👉 https://www.edgeofpossibilities.com.au/pl/2148725323
Over to You…
How are you feeling as December ramps up?
What’s one “plate” you can put down this week to restore some calm?
I’d love to hear.
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