12MinuteLeadership

Episode 25: Leading Through Uncertainty | 12MinuteLeadership

• Elise Boggs Morales • Season 1 • Episode 25

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If there’s one skill that defines modern leadership, it’s the ability to lead through uncertainty. Whether it’s navigating normal organizational change, disruptions in your market, or unexpected global events, like COVID — uncertainty has become something leaders are having to navigate like never before.  And yet, some leaders manage to not just survive uncertain times — they actually help their people thrive through them

In this episode, I talk about what uncertainty looks like for leaders today and the qualities of leaders who navigate through uncertainty well — so you can strengthen these same qualities in yourself. 
I start by naming today’s pressure points—economic volatility, AI and automation, evolving workforce norms, organizational transitions, and global forces—and why teams instinctively crave stability. From there, we unpack two common traps: the silent leader who waits for perfect information and the oversharing leader who exports anxiety. You’ll get simple scripts to communicate what’s known, what’s unknown, and when you’ll update again, plus a framing that pairs truth with direction so your people stay grounded and focused.

Then I zoom in on emotional steadiness, the subtle signal that shapes how your team interprets turbulence. You’ll learn quick regulation practices that keep urgency from becoming alarming, and you’ll see how curiosity and short feedback loops make learning the new stability. We also explore empathy without lowering the bar—how to check in meaningfully, protect dignity, and connect effort to impact. Finally, I return to purpose as the durable anchor: a clear why that guides and sustains hope when the path keeps changing.

If this episode encouraged you, share it with another leader navigating uncertainty right now. Also, be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals-from executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info. 

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Speaker:

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Boggs Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to treat compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now. Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome to episode 25. If there's one skill that defines modern leadership, it's this: the ability to lead through uncertainty. Whether it's navigating normal organizational change, disruptions in your market, or unexpected global events like COVID, uncertainty has become something leaders are having to navigate like never before. And yet, some leaders manage to not just survive uncertain times, they actually help their people thrive through them. I've watched this happen firsthand with many of my clients over the last couple years. On this episode, we'll talk about what uncertainty looks like for leaders today and the qualities of leaders who navigate through uncertainty well, so that you can strengthen these same qualities in yourself. So, first, let's talk about what uncertainty looks like today in 2025. We are living in a time where uncertainty is no longer an occasional challenge, it's the environment we lead in every day. And as leaders, we are navigating uncertainty in several different areas. One, economic fluctuations, their shifting markets, inflation, and budget constraints, technology, AI, automation, and digital transformation changing entire industries, cultural change, evolving workforce expectations around flexibility, working in the office, working out of the office, organizational transitions such as mergers, leadership changes, or restructuring, and societal and global uncertainty from the public health crisis of COVID to political shifts that impact funding, policy, and different aspects of business. So environments like these, teams naturally crave stability. I think at just a human level, we crave stability. But as leaders, we can't always provide that certainty. But what we can provide to the best of our ability is clarity, connection, and a sense of calm. And I'm going to break these down for us. Because our goal as leaders isn't to eliminate uncertainty. That's not something we can promise or do, but we can lead well within it. And now I'm going to break down some of the qualities of leaders who navigate uncertainty well. So, five to be exact, that will help you as a leader stay centered and keep others that you're leading grounded. First is clarity in the chaos. So in times of uncertainty, communication becomes more critical and more delicate. Many leaders go to extremes, either over-silence or over-sharing. And each can have a distinct and often damaging impact on teams. So I'll talk about the silent leader first. The silent leader doesn't say anything. Many leaders stay silent because they don't yet have the answers. They fear being wrong or think it's better to wait until things are clear. The intention is often good. They want to protect their team from confusion, but the absence of communication actually creates more confusion. Why? Because anxiety fills the gap. When leaders don't communicate, people make up their own stories. In the absence of information, rumor and fear take root. Also, trust erodes. Team members may assume leaders are hiding something, or worse, that they don't care. Also, momentum stalls. Without direction or acknowledgement, teams hesitate to act, and uncertainty turns into paralysis. When leaders go silent in uncertainty, the message people hear isn't we're waiting for clarity, it's you're on your own. And that's when fear starts to lead instead. The good news is that you don't need to have all the answers to communicate something. Just communicate the things you do know with honesty and intention. So you could say something like, I don't have all the information yet, but here's what I do know, and here's when I'll update you again. This builds trust and psychological safety, even when the picture isn't complete. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the oversharing leader who says too much. Some of us cope with uncertainty by processing out loud, sharing every concern, fear, and internal debate with our teams, thinking that transparency equals trust. But raw transparency without emotional filtering can create unnecessary stress. Why? Because it can cause things like emotional contagion. Teams mirror their leader's state. So when a leader's fear or frustration spills out unchecked, it amplifies anxiety. There can also be a loss of confidence. When leaders express too much doubt or panic, people lose the sense of stability they need to stay focused. And finally, there can be blurred boundaries. Oversharing can shift the emotional burden onto the team, making them feel responsible for managing the leader's stress. So, leaders who overshare their fears create what I call emotional whiplash. People don't know if they should follow, comfort, or panic. And authenticity doesn't mean saying everything you feel, it means saying what's both helpful and true. Great leaders share enough to be real, but not so much that it destabilizes others. So you could say something like, I know this is a tough season and there are unknowns. I feel that too. But here's what we can focus on right now. That combination of truth plus direction keeps teams grounded and hopeful. So how can you avoid going to these extremes and be a more balanced communicator to create clarity in times of uncertainty? In uncertain times, people don't need all the answers. They need assurance that they're not facing the unknown alone. So they need to know that you see what they see, you're being honest about what's real, you'll keep communicating as things evolve, and you're steady enough to navigate what's next. That blend of honesty, empathy, and presence builds what's called anchoring leadership, which is the ability to help people feel grounded even when the ground is shifting. Another quality of leaders who navigate uncertainty well is emotional steadiness. When everything feels uncertain, people look to their leaders for emotional cues, kind of how passengers look to the flight attendant's reaction to turbulence on a plane. This doesn't mean pretending everything's fine, it means regulating your own emotions so that you can lead with calm presence. As one leader shared with me, when I stay steady, my team doesn't panic, even when the situation calls for urgency. Leaders who remain grounded model resilience. Their calm becomes contagious. A third quality of leaders who navigate uncertainty well is adaptability and learning. Uncertainty rewards leaders who stay curious, not rigid. Adaptable leaders are open to feedback, new ideas, and course corrections. In last week's episode, I mentioned Nadella transforming Microsoft's culture. He is a great example of this when he championed a learn-it-all mindset instead of a know-it-all one. In times of change, learning is the new stability. A fourth quality of leaders who navigate uncertainty well is empathy and connection. Uncertainty affects people differently. Some withdraw, some overwork, some worry silently. Inspirational leaders understand this and make maintaining an emotional connection a priority. They check in, they listen, and remind people that their worth isn't tied to outcomes alone. Empathy doesn't mean lowering expectations. It means leading with humanity while pursuing results. There's a quote attributed to Maya Angelou that says, People may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. And finally, the fifth quality is having a purpose-driven focus. Leaders who thrive in uncertainty come back to purpose. When everything else feels unpredictable, purpose becomes your anchor. It gives context to the chaos. It reminds people why their work matters and what doesn't change, even when everything else does. As Victor Frankel said, those who have a why to live can bear almost anyhow. And in closing, uncertainty will always be a part of leadership, but it doesn't have to define it. The leaders we remember most aren't the ones who had perfect plans. They're the ones who led with courage, clarity, and compassion when no one knew what would happen next. So, here's your reflection question for this week. Where in your leadership do you need to bring more clarity, steadiness, or connection in a time of uncertainty? And one more, what would it look like to lead with calm confidence, even when you don't have all the answers? Remember, your presence is more powerful than your plan. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If this episode encouraged you, share it with another leader navigating uncertainty right now. I'll see you next time. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.