Navigating Uncertainty with Resilient Leadership

Practical tools to help you lead with clarity and calm both at work and home—even when life feels chaotic

Economic stress, political uncertainty, and job loss- we have no shortage of uncertainty. Here’s how leaders, professionals, and parents can stay grounded and resilient through the storm.

Uncertainty is Everywhere—And It’s Taking a Toll

Flights are uncertain. Everything is costing more. Businesses are slow. The job market is down. Employers are asking for everything faster—innovation, AI adoption, and whatnot.

All the elements are there to make us feel overwhelmed, restless, and anxious. My natural bodily reaction is to hold my breath. I know many of us do that. It feels like we’re all collectively holding our breath, waiting for certainty that isn’t arriving. Nothing else is moving faster as a result. The only numbers we’re contributing to are our vitals—blood pressure and other indicators that the body is in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode.

As coaches, our job is to attend to our clients in such times. But we ourselves are not immune. Often, it’s the opposite—organizations are cutting budgets for learning and development, and our businesses slow down as well.

Same with leaders. They’re expected to hold space for their teams while managing their reactions to these complex circumstances.

Parents, too, are navigating these pressures. Budgets are tight. Many families can’t afford summer trips or camps. Parents are left to manage their own emotions and sense of loss while still showing up as steady, reassuring for their children.

It’s a collective holding-the-breath situation.

Yesterday, a business development professional and a mother of two—currently unemployed—told me,

“I feel like crying, but I don’t allow myself, because I may not be able to come back if I do.”

Another tech executive shared,

“I’m getting pressure from the top to innovate faster and adopt Gen AI, but I can’t just tell people to work longer—they’re already exhausted. Innovation doesn’t happen like that.”

These are the times that test even the most seasoned leaders. Leading through uncertainty requires more than temporary fixes—it calls for inner steadiness and intentional action.

Leadership in Uncertain Times Requires Resilience

Leadership in uncertain times is not about reacting out of stress and fear, but about staying mindful and responding with courage and humanity. Resilience is the foundation for it. But how do you cultivate resilience? I developed the 3Cs of Resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic—practices that remain highly applicable today as we face economic and political uncertainty.

The 3Cs of Resilient Leadership

While resilience may look different for each person, I found that these three pillars —taking care of ourselves, connecting with what matters, and then creatively moving forward with small actions —help build our resilience.

Care

• Notice signs of emotional fatigue.
• Integrate regular practices for physical and mental renewal (like short mindfulness breaks, deep breathing, hydration, and movement).

Connect

• Reconnect with your values, purpose, and personal sources of meaning.
• Practice gratitude.
• Lean into your support systems—friends, family, teammates.

Create

• Focus on what’s within your control.
• Tailor advice to your unique situation.
• Experiment, reflect, and refine.
• Contribute in small, meaningful ways—every act of support or service counts.

Real People, Real Practices

My tech executive clients have now integrated a 1-minute mindfulness practice. It helps them center, notice emotional cues, and regulate them before they speak or act. This small habit allows them to take care of themselves and lead with intention, rather than reacting from a place of stress and overwhelm. This mindful pause also helps them reconnect with their purpose—and with their teams—creating a sense of alignment.

One VP of Product rekindled his childhood love of painting. As a busy professional and father of two, he didn’t have much time, so he kept painting supplies in his car and used his son’s soccer practice time to paint instead of scrolling through news feeds. This joyful activity gave his brain rest and reinvigorated his creativity. That’s the third C—create—in action. He didn’t just follow advice; he designed a personal solution that brought him peace and pride. He later showed me his paintings, which were displayed in his home office.

Another senior executive realized he could control the development of a new internal tool—but not how other leaders viewed the problem. So he shifted his mindset from “driving the initiative” to purposefully creating space to listen for market signals and respond with agility. This allowed him to adopt a more creative and adaptive leadership style, and he felt less anxious about his performance.

Broadening Perspective: Connect with Family and Collective History

A myopic view of the timeline sometimes creates more stress than it deserves. When we take a broader view, we can see things from a wiser perspective.

Connecting to our own personal or cultural history. When I face adversity, I think of my grandmother, who had to step up and support the big joint family after my grandfather’s untimely death. Her resourcefulness and strength give me hope. Here is my brother’s article on that story: The Essential Qualities of Leadership – Examples from My Grandmother and Other Situational Leaders.

Recently, while walking with my husband by the scenic Kirkland waterfront—a place now bustling with tourists and homebuyers—we remembered its humble origins. In 1888, investors planned for Kirkland to become the “Pittsburgh of the West” with steel mills. That plan failed. Yet Kirkland thrived anyway, becoming a beloved destination for its beauty, community, and proximity to global opportunities (Source).

Success is rarely linear. It’s about staying buoyant through setbacks and surprises so that you can navigate uncertainty more gracefully. What personal or collective history can give you that perspective?

Leadership is a Social Process

When uncertainty looms, the instinct is to take control. But as the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) notes, leadership isn’t a solo performance—it’s a social process. In challenging times, connection becomes a competitive advantage.

As one tech executive client said, “It’s a spectrum—it’s about driving toward outcomes while staying open to other inputs and mindfully responding.”

That’s where resilient leadership shines: not by avoiding discomfort, but by expanding the leadership capacities through self-care, connection, and creativity in the face of it.

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Want support in building your resilience and leadership capacity? Let’s talk about how coaching can help you show up with clarity and strength—even when the path ahead feels uncertain.