Leading effectively in uncertain times

TLDR; The leadership playbook isn’t “move faster” or “be tougher.” It’s learning to hold urgency and steadiness at the same time. It’s sharing power, not hoarding it. It’s investing in your communication skills as much as your technical skills. In my experience, that’s what creates teams and products that thrive, even when everything else is on unstable ground.

Leading when everything feels up in the air
Lately I’ve been hearing a phrase that captures what so many of us are feeling: a “cycle of unprecedented change.” Between AI, shifting markets, geopolitical instability and intergenerational teams, the ground under leaders’ feet is moving constantly. Inside organizations it often looks like a scramble; fear-driven investments, under-trained people, and decisions that feel more reactive than strategic.

I’ve led design and product teams through acquisitions, digital transformations, and moments of real uncertainty. What I’ve learned is that good leadership in these times looks different than the “move fast and break things” archetype. It’s about creating steadiness in the middle of chaos. Here’s what that has meant for me:

Settle the ball before you kick it
When a project gets dropped on your desk, or priorities shift overnight, it’s tempting to respond immediately. Great leaders ‘settle the ball’, even if just for a beat. Take a breath, look down the field, decide where it actually needs to go. That pause is what turns urgency into productive urgency instead of panic and reactionary errors.

Lead with courage and compassion
Digital transformation isn’t about the tech, it’s about people. When I’ve had to redirect teams after months of hard work, I’ve found it critical to acknowledge the emotional and cognitive toll before diving into the new plan. Gratitude, clarity, and a genuine check-in go a long way. It’s what keeps trust intact so people will follow you into the next challenge. Time invested is never wasted, often ideas can be repurposed, and when thats not possible, the experience of doing work is still just as valuable, even if it never saw the light.

Choose power with your teams
I’ve seen fear-based leadership produce quick results, but then burn people out or turn against the business. Today’s workforce, especially younger generations, won’t tolerate it. Sustained performance comes from shared purpose and dignity, not periodic displays of cruelty. Mary Parker Follett called it “power with” and “power to.” That’s where real, lasting performance lives, if you need to empower your teams they will deliver their best work. Force them to do something they are not onboard with or feel pressured into delivering against their judgement and the output will reflect it.

Harness generational differences instead of fighting them
I’ve managed teams where Gen-Z won’t move without knowing the “why.” Early in my career, that would have annoyed me. Now I see it as an opportunity. Their questions often surface smarter ideas and prevent wasted effort. Listen to concerns and talk them through, ensure everyone is heard and take suggestions seriously. Oligarchical structures will be met with resistance. The key is giving everyone the skills to keep task conflict from sliding into emotional conflict.

Make communication a craft
Clarity. Discipline. Accountability. Those three words guide how I communicate. I reread emails before sending, pick up the phone when tone matters, and own the impact of my words. It’s uncomfortable sometimes. Real communication is vulnerable, “clear is kind, unclear is unkind” has become a mantra for me. In moments of uncertainty, clarity and accountability are what people crave most from their leaders. Honesty and openness go a long way when dealing with confusion or descent.

In summary
At the end of the day, these aren’t just nice to haves, they’re the skills that differentiate leaders who merely survive disruption from those who help their teams thrive in it. Holding urgency and steadiness, choosing power with instead of power over, and treating communication as a craft aren’t abstract ideals, they’re daily practices. When we model them consistently, we build trust, resilience, and creativity into our organizations, that’s what carries people (and products) through uncertain times.