Overcoming Leadership Challenges: How Great Leaders Navigate Uncertainty and Change

Jun 16

Let’s face it, leading through uncertainty is not easy - not by any stretch of the imagination. When change is constant and the pressure’s high, it can feel like you’re the captain sailing a ship in a storm without a map. But here’s what experienced leaders know: uncertainty doesn’t have to sink you. The best leaders don’t wait for perfect conditions; they navigate through the fog with clarity, intention, and possess a sense of leadership resilience about them. Now, let’s chart a path so YOU can achieve this!

1. Finding Clarity in the Chaos

In unpredictable times, clarity isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s your anchor. Your rock. Your true north. When the future feels unstable, the strongest leaders pause, re-center, and lead from within. That’s why we created the Clarity in the Chaos Field Guide & Aligned Workbook, an insight companion for grounded leaders. These free resources are packed with tools and reflections to help you stay grounded when life and leadership feel frantic. One of the most powerful, simple, and accessible leadership tools is understanding that your executive presence and calm in the chaos starts with awareness in your body. Before walking into your next meeting or high-pressure conversation, we suggest you try the following:

Pause
Take three deep breaths
Do a 90-second body scan.

Where do you feel tightness? Where is there ease? Being tuned in to your physical self helps build awareness, calm the mind, regulate your heart rate, and you can respond to others with more clarity, intention, and presence.

2. Get Clear on What Really Matters

When everything feels urgent, it’s easy to chase the latest fire or say “yes” to everything. But that’s not strategic, or sustainable! Now’s the time to double down on clarity on your top priorities. Ask yourself: What are the few things that truly matter right now? Keep the list small. Focused. And manageable.

Once you’ve got the answer, protect it! That means saying no to things that distract, dilute, or drain you. It’s not about being rude, it’s about preserving space for your most meaningful and impactful “yes.” (Here’s a great read from Forbes if saying no is hard for you.)

3. Make It Easy for Your Team to Win

As a leader, your job isn’t just to set direction, it’s to remove barriers so your team can thrive.

Make sure to ask yourself:

Are we aligned? Am I being clear and transparent about what matters most?
Are there things getting in the way that don’t need to be? What can I change?
What will make things easier, or more smooth for my team?
Where can I leverage my skills and relationships to pave the way for others?

When people feel stressed, it’s easy to succumb to the overwhelm. Clear communication from you, as the leader, can go a long way. Think about how you can make things easier for the team. Listen, and be available. Celebrate small wins, and recognize milestones. Success begets success.

4. Embrace the Power of “Both/And” Thinking

One of the leadership tools we teach ALL THE TIME is this: many things can be true at once. You can feel confident and uncertain. Calm and concerned. Focused and flexible. In a world that pushes us to pick sides, great leaders hold space for complexity and practice adaptive leadership styles. As the Clarity in the Chaos guide says, “Things are rarely black and white. Leadership demands the ability to hold paradox, and navigate ambiguity with grace.”

Where are you stuck in either/or thinking? What opens up if you shift into “both/and”?

5. Build Resilience with Micro-Moments

Resilience isn’t about pushing harder; it’s about staying present in the discomfort. And that doesn't require a complete change of focus, or a total life overhaul. In fact, small shifts practiced consistently are what keep leaders steady in steady in shifting tides.

Here are a few quick wins:

Start meetings with a round of gratitude, it boosts morale and connection. We dig more into the power of gratitude here.
Set one healthy boundary this week to protect your focus: maybe you can go for a run three mornings? Or get outside at lunchtime? Or even take a five-minute “breather” a few times during the day.
Reach out to someone, not just about work, but about how they’re doing. We’ve said it before, but the often-quoted “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is true. Especially in times of uncertainty.

Tiny habits can make a huge impact! You never know until you try - so set a goal to try one of the ideas above for a week. We’re willing to bet it’ll have an impact on you - and the people around you, too!

6. This Too Shall Pass

In tough moments, it’s easy to feel like things will never get better. That’s why we love this coaching reframe. Shift your thinking from considering the situation:

Permanent to temporary
Personal to external
Pervasive to specific

This moment may feel big, but it’s not forever. You’re not alone, and you’re not stuck. If you’re ready to dig deeper, it might be time to explore coaching.

Navigate with Intention

Leadership in today’s world is tough, and we get it. But that’s okay, you don’t need to see every step ahead. What you do need is to know how to navigate from the strength within:

Breathe.
Re-center.
Get clear.
Lead with intention.

Whether you need a moment to anchor or you’re ready to chart a bold new course, Clarity in the Chaos & The Aligned Workbook offer steady guidance for the choppy waters ahead. And when you’re ready for deeper support, we’re here to navigate with you through 1x1 Coaching, Retreats and more.