How to Lead Confidently in Unpredictable Times

We all accept that unpredictability and uncertainty make this a challenging time to be a leader – but what does that mean in practice?

Well, it means that leaders now work in an environment where the rate of change is so fast that the ground rarely feels solid beneath them. As a result, their operational priorities can change from day to day. Plans agreed in the morning may even be obsolete by the end of the day, and the idea of waiting to see how things how settle is long gone. Despite this, leaders still have to face their teams with clarity and confidence, even when they're struggling to make sense of things themselves. That's what makes this so different from leading in steadier times because you're making decisions and shaping culture in a context where things can change without any notice.

In these situations, what do leaders struggle with the most?

The problem here is that our brains are wired to seek predictability. Uncertainty triggers are threat responses that can narrow our thinking, heighten our anxiety, and make us more defensive. That’s going to be a problem for any leader. But you also see a pattern of what neuroscientist Dr. Julia DiGangi describes as ‘the overs’; being overcontrolling, overworking, overthinking or over reliant on yourself. It's a very human attempt to create a sense of safety in what is chaos.

In stable conditions, these responses can sometimes be accommodated because the pace is slower, and the stakes are lower. However, unpredictability often amplifies our responses.  Being overcontrolling can slow you down, when speed is what you're after, while overthinking can lead to paralysis, just when decisiveness is needed. Leaders need to be self-aware enough to notice what tips them into responding in a particular way, and disciplined enough to be able to interrupt these patterns.

How big an issue is this for leaders and their employers?

I'd say this is a defining leadership issue right now. The conditions driving unpredictability – technological disruption, climate change, political instability, shifting societal expectations – are all accelerating. Some organisations recognise this and are building more adaptability into their leadership culture. In practice, that might involve leaders coming together more often to review market signals, team feedback, and customer trends to adapt and make faster decisions. They’ll have a working rhythm that allows for strategy to continuously evolve, rather than just being set in stone.

By contrast, you can see other organisations holding on tightly to rigid planning cycles. That’s understandable because human beings clutch onto the things that give us comfort. However, in doing so, leaders can find themselves locked into decisions that no longer fit the landscape they're in, so they keep moving in the original direction even when conditions have shifted. Their systems and culture are not able to flex. In unpredictable times, that's the difference between staying relevant or being left behind.

Leaders who successfully manage unpredictability typically strike a really good balance of creating enough clarity to act, even when they don't have all the answers. They bring people into the process of navigating what’s happening around them and benefit from their diversity of thought. And I think that colleagues really do appreciate this because, even if it's not always positive news, at least they're not left wondering. We saw this during Covid – the news might not have been great, but organisations became better at communicating. As a result, people were more engaged and were able to get on with things, thereby demonstrating how information can always help to settle our brains.

How can this workshop help leaders to better cope with all this uncertainty?

The workshop is a mix of psychology, neuroscience, leadership and human connection, all aimed at helping people lead more effectively in uncertain times. We start by looking at what people actually need in those moments. Not just answers or plans – but also the clarity, safety and sense of purpose that can help them to feel grounded. As well as exploring how to reduce anxiety and stress, a big part of the workshop is about creating environments of trust and psychological safety. We talk about the behaviours that help, like transparency, consistency and empathy, and how they help to guide teams through uncertainty. We also look at how to make high-pressure decisions when information isn't available and introduce models that help us to better understand the environment we're in.

Another essential theme we explore is relationships at work. We're often so task-oriented that we forget the human side; something I’m very passionate about. We’re so used to avoiding emotions in our workplaces, but actually we can't - because they're there all the time. So, we look to bring some of that to the surface, exploring feelings, relationships, and trust-building. We also look at how want to connect with people and how that affects performance. Interestingly, that can often be a light bulb moment for people who realise that they’d been so focused on tasks that any thoughts of the relationships they want with colleagues had rather fallen by the wayside.

What do you think are the most valuable things that learners get out of the workshop?

The first relates to self-awareness and giving leaders a better understanding of their own triggers and patterns of behaviour – what makes them lean into ‘the overs’; and how to reset themselves if they do. The second would be the practical tools they’re introduced to for leading and keeping teams engaged when they don't have all the answers. I'd say the third is culture building, creating an environment of trust and adaptability where people feel safe to speak up and can experiment with doing things differently.

And finally, having designed this workshop, what are you most proud of about it?

For me, it comes back to that point about human connection. I’ve felt for a time that leadership is like a seesaw, where you’ve got a task on one side and a relationship on the other. I feel we've been so tipped towards the task that relationships aren't always given the time and attention they need. This is crucial when the success of our work lies in the relationships that we hold with each other. Within the workshop, I like how we bring that to the surface and help people to feel more comfortable with the language around their feelings. That’s just too important to simply bury away.

Interested in the Leading in Unpredictable Times workshop? To find out more, or make a booking, click here.