Absorb Chaos. Don’t Spread It.

Ever notice how some founders radiate stability — even when everything’s on fire?

They’re not calm because things are fine. They’re calm because they’ve trained for chaos.

And they’ve figured out the real job:

Most leaders don’t do that. They leak.

They let pressure escape through Slack tone.

Through erratic strategy pivots. Through passive-aggressive “just looping you in” messages. Through energy.

And the team feels it — even if nothing’s said out loud.

We call it transparency.

But most of the time, it’s just unmanaged fear with a clean font.

Startups don’t die from a single bad quarter. They die from unprocessed instability that spreads like mold.

🔍 Are you leaking chaos?

• You over-communicate urgency but under-communicate clarity

• You drop strategic shifts mid-meeting without context

• Your 1:1s feel more like emotional outsourcing than alignment

• You say “I’m good” but send 1AM fire-drill texts

Containment isn’t silence.

It’s structure.

🧰 Try this: The 3C Rule

1. Contain — Pause long enough to process your state

2. Communicate — Speak clearly and without bleed

3. Correct — Lead the fix once the room is stable

Because when you’re at the top, you set the emotional climate.

And a dysregulated founder builds a foggy company.

You don’t have to be unshakeable.

But you do have to take responsibility for what you shake off.

Contain. Process. Lead.

That’s the job.

Best,
—Pete

P.S. Here’s the Real Reason You Avoid Big Clients