Corporate America had firsthand experience of the financial and operational impact of COVID-19, but a recent article revealed something more surprising: The pandemic may have aged our brains, even in those who never contracted the virus.
New research suggests that COVID-19 may have effects similar to accelerated aging in the brain: Memory issues, slower processing, trouble concentrating. Whether you’ve had the virus or not, chances are you’ve felt the fog at some point over the past few years.
So, here’s the leadership question we should be asking: How do we nurture our cognitive resilience, especially when the pressure doesn’t let up?
Leadership today requires mental, emotional, and spiritual stamina. And yet, we often operate as if the mind is a machine. We expect ourselves to keep going, keep solving, keep performing. But our brains aren’t machines; they’re ecosystems. They need recovery, oxygen, and space. Without self-care, even the sharpest leaders lose their edge.
In Transfluence, I talk about leading with honesty, humility, and heart—traits for when cognitive clarity is at risk. It takes honesty to say, “I’m not at my best today.” It takes humility to lean on others when your thinking is slow or scattered. And it takes heart to extend grace to yourself and your team when the fog rolls in.
In a world full of noise and nonstop decision-making, here are a few ways we can build cognitive resilience into our leadership practice:
1. Model transparency around cognitive fatigue; structure thinking time.
When leaders acknowledge they’re mentally taxed, they give others permission to do the same. This builds psychological safety and prevents burnout before it starts. Block time on your calendar that isn’t for meetings or emails but for thinking. Some of my best strategic decisions came not from reacting but from sitting still with a complex idea. Huffington Post founder, Arianna Huffington, turned her personal burnout journey into Thrive Global, promoting digital detox, gratitude practices, and mental breaks at organizational scale.
2. Take purposeful brain breaks.
Pausing doesn’t mean slacking. It means protecting your mental bandwidth. Step outside. Breathe. Reflect. Just five minutes of space can reset your brain and return focus. Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff, for example, integrates daily meditation and extends mindfulness programs to his teams—clearly valuing rest as fuel for long-term clarity and innovation.
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3. Lean into your team’s mental diversity.
No one brain should carry the whole cognitive load. Share decision-making. Encourage fresh viewpoints. When we lead collaboratively, we reduce strain and increase innovation. Ellen Langer, psychologist and Harvard University’s “godmother of mindfulness,” emphasizes leading with awareness and adapting in real time—reminding us that presence enables better decision-making under ambiguity.
4. Invest in your team’s well-being.
Cognitive resilience isn’t just a personal project. It’s cultural. Support flexible schedules, offer mental health resources, and normalize rest. Janice Marturano, a former General Mills executive, rebuilt her leadership practice via mindfulness training and now teaches leaders how to reduce stress, boost self-awareness, and lead with resilience.
Leaders are navigating a landscape filled with hidden challenges—some of which, like brain fatigue, they can’t even see. But resilience isn’t about pushing through blindly. It’s about leading with presence, clarity, and compassion.
When the brain fog rolls in, we don’t need to pretend it’s sunny. We need to lead with the kind of influence that transcends circumstances—the kind that comes from caring deeply, thinking wisely, and remembering that even leaders need time to reset.
