Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Strategic Misfires
A Masterclass in What NOT to Do
When business headlines explode—“New Tariff Announced!” “Trade War Erupts!”—C-suites everywhere start scrambling. Consultants pivot their decks, leadership books fly off the shelf, and suddenly every LinkedIn feed is full of panic posts.
But you know what never shows up in those news cycles? The companies who handled it with real strategy—instead of reactivity.
Today, Un_Standard hands you a masterclass in what NOT to do: Why short-term reactions to chaos (like tariffs and trade wars) leave brands stuck, tired, or broke…and how next-level leaders build clarity into the mess.
What Happens When You Confuse Chaos for Strategy?
- You Start Playing Defense Instead of Creating Action
Tariffs and market turbulence are supposed to spark reevaluation. But what do most brands do?
- Slash budgets
- Cancel launches
- Blame the supply chain, the market, or the “competition abroad”
The result: Teams freeze, waiting for “certainty” instead of making the next bold move.
- You Build for the Crisis, Not for Resilience
Every urgent decision becomes a workaround. Soon you’re patching leaks daily instead of investing in systems or relationships that last beyond the current fire.
- You Forget the Power of Alignment
Caught up in headlines, business units start pulling in opposite directions. Marketing chases a new persona. Sales tries to survive the next quarter. Nobody talks about story, shared goals, or clarity of message.
Join The Movement
What Real Leaders Do Instead (The Un_Standard Way)
- Name What’s Uncontrollable. You can’t stop a tariff. You can’t change trade headlines. You CAN control message, culture, how teams respond, and how fast you pivot—on strategy, not just activity.
- Audit for Clarity, Not Chaos. Don’t ask, “Where do we cut?” Ask, “Where are we unfocused? What can we align, automate, or shed for good?”
- Reinforce the Core Story. When the world zigs, the movement brands double down on what makes them different—why their “why” matters more than price or politics.
Case in Point: What Happens When You Panic
- A hardware importer spent six months flipping marketing messages to match every new trade rumor. The result? Employee burnout, flat sales, and product confusion.
- A SaaS team paused every bold bet for a year “until things settle”—guess what? The competition launched three new features, and the team is still “waiting.”
Now contrast the Un_Standard results:
- One Un_Leash client got hit with a supply chain shock. Instead of slashing, they ran a 2-week sprint to align customer messaging (“real talk” about delays), double down on their movement story, and proactively design a loyalty plan for affected customers.
- Result? 70% lower churn, and customers volunteered as brand defenders in a LinkedIn campaign.
Learn From Trade War Fails: Three Un_Standard Principles
Clarity Beats Urgency—Every Time Panic decisions rarely align with your best customer, best story, or best use of resources. Work the plan, not the panic.
- Strategy = Systems, Not Just Slogans Build anti-fragile infrastructure—aligned teams, tested workflows, and a clear voice ready to adapt (not knee-jerk).
Leverage our Process Optimization guide here.
- Always Invest in Long View Leadership If you can’t see beyond the fire, you’ll just keep burning your teams out. Set true north and let it show up in every campaign—even when the market looks wild.
How to Move From Reactive to Movement
- Block out the noise: Calendar clarity sprints to reset priorities.
- Run an all-team story/rally session after every major market disruption. (“What’s the headline we would want our competitors to read next month?”)
- Invest in ongoing, cross-team feedback—the more honest the challenge, the less likely you’re prepping for the wrong fire.
Clarity Is Your Safeguard. Movement Is Your Advantage.
You can’t control market chaos. But you can lead like every disruption is an invitation to realignment.
Ditch short-term panic. Build a movement strategy that outlasts headlines.
Book a Strategic Alignment Call with Un_Standard →
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David Garrard
Agent Provocateur & Chief Creative Officer at Un_Standard. David helps ambitious brands unearth clarity, break the rules that hold them back, and co-create movement-level growth. When not challenging the status quo, he’s in the kitchen inventing new flavors or chasing after his three cats: Hallie Tosis, Lester Een, and Jim G. Vitis. #BeUnStandard
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