How To Lead Through Uncertainty In Decisions

The most dangerous person in your organization might be the one who's most certain about the future. In an era of constant disruption, traditional leadership models fall short. Here's what I've learned about thriving in chaos: - Embrace Strategic Humility: Conventional wisdom says leaders should have all the answers. Reality? In fast-changing environments, acknowledging what you don't know is power. It creates space for collective intelligence to emerge. Start key meetings by explicitly stating uncertainties: "Here are three critical things we don't know yet about this market shift." - Reframe "Mistakes" as "Tuition": In chaos, if you're not making mistakes, you're not moving fast enough. The key is to make those mistakes valuable. Create a culture where teams openly share lessons from failures, focusing on insights gained rather than opportunities lost. This transforms setbacks into catalysts for growth and innovation. - Cultivate Anxious Optimism: Blend "we'll figure it out" confidence with the urgency of "if we don't, we're toast." This mindset drives creativity and prevents both complacency and panic. In planning sessions, always pair opportunity discussions with risk assessments: "What's the best possible outcome here? Now, what could cause us to miss it entirely?" - Lead with Questions, Not Answers: In uncertainty, the quality of our questions matters more than the firmness of our answers. Start strategic discussions with: "What question, if answered, would change everything about our approach?" This focuses team energy on the most impactful unknowns. -Build Capacity for Uncertainty: Your job isn't to provide certainty—it's to build an organization that thrives without it. Regularly rotate team members across projects or departments. This builds organizational flexibility and prevents silo thinking. The leaders who will succeed today and in the future aren't those with the best plans, but those who build teams capable of rapid adaptation and relentless learning.

Navigating Leadership in Turbulent Times- A few days ago, I had an interesting conversation with a friend about how Non Profits are facing this period of  unknowns and instability. For organizational leaders, the role we play in guiding our teams and ensuring the stability and resilience of our organizations has never been more critical. Here are a few things I learned about leading through uncertainty- 1. Focus with Intent We are constantly being hit with a barrage of incoherent tweets, rash decisions, and contradictory messaging that can feel overwhelming. Reacting to everything will leave us scattered, unfocused, and ineffective. Leaders must prioritize their organizational goals and focus on what they are best equipped to address. 🔑 Choose your battles wisely and resist the urge to 'play whack-a-mole' with every issue. Not every fight is yours to take on, and sometimes, the wisest move is not to fight at all. Focused leadership drives meaningful impact. 2. Embrace Collaboration - In this season of uncertainty, collaboration is not optional—it’s essential. Community and partnerships have always propelled movements forward. 🤝 Build a collaborative work culture, encouraging your team to cultivate strong relationships both internally and externally.  Collaboration builds trust, and allows people to build upon their strengths and leads to better decisions and outcomes.   3. Flexibility & Adaptability -"Be stubborn about your goals but flexible about how you achieve them." Strategy is not a fixed plan but an evolving path to reach a predetermined destination. Recognize when adjustments are needed and model adaptability for your team. 📣 Communicate openly with staff about changes and align around shared objectives, even if absolute agreement isn’t always possible. Pathways can emerge when teams are nimble and solutions-oriented. 4. Support Your Staff- Amid external crises, organizational trust often becomes strained. Now is the time to double down on creating a supportive environment for your team.  Focus on the short-term goals and the long-term mission when conflict arises. Look for areas of agreement to rally around. 💡 Consider what your organization can offer during this period, whether that’s flexible policies, open communication channels, or empathetic leadership. Teams perform best when they feel valued and supported. 5. Safeguard Your Organization - If your mission runs counter to the incoming administration’s policies, preparation is key. 📋 Run a risk assessment and review your policies/processes to ensure compliance and readiness. Develop clear protocols and maintain a strong relationship with your legal counsel.  A proactive approach will protect your organization from unnecessary risks. I can say from experience that leadership in turbulent times isn’t easy, but it’s also an incredible opportunity to model resilience, inspire focus, and foster collaboration.

A topic that has come up recently in some of my manager development programs is how to lead during times of change and uncertainty (which, let's face it, feels like the norm these days). The core question is this: How do you show up and lead others during periods of uncertainty and change when you yourself may feel uncertain about the changes happening? When one person asks this question, many others nod in agreement, highlighting the universality of what many leaders are experiencing today. In the hopes of sparking further conversations between your leaders and their peers on this topic, I wanted to share a few key ideas we discussed as potential actions for leaders to try: 📌Put on your oxygen mask first - As the saying goes, take care of yourself first. Before you respond to others, make sure you are in a good place personally amidst the change and uncertainty. It can be challenging to support others when you’re not taking care of yourself. Take time to reflect, seek support, or journal—whatever helps you process the situation. But before you lead, start with yourself. 📌 Map out what’s within your control - It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by uncertainty, but in reality, some things are within your control, and others are not. Define what’s in your control and focus your energy there. It’s not easy, but it helps reduce the stress of feeling powerless. 📌 Meet people where they are - Everyone has their own relationship with change and their own ways of coping with fear, uncertainty, and change. Your goal is to understand where each person is individually and meet them there, helping them move in the right direction. This requires listening and personalizing your approach to each individual. 📌Turn outward (and encourage others to do the same) -  During challenging times, it’s natural to want to turn inward and isolate yourself. While it’s completely reasonable to take care of yourself, remember the saying, “don’t suffer in silence.” If there’s uncertainty or change happening, you’re likely not the only one feeling it. Turn outward to your peers and colleagues. As a leader, model this behavior, and encourage your team to connect with their peers as well, if they feel comfortable. Many of society’s challenges have been solved through collaboration, and this situation will be no different. If you have other ideas or practices that are helping your leaders navigate change and uncertainty, I’d love to hear what you’re doing or trying! #leadership #leadershipdevelopment