Leading Beneath the Surface: Why Strong Organizations Don’t Wait for Calm Seas
In December, we focused on direction – lifting our gaze, clarifying where we’re headed, and reconnecting with purpose. January invites a different vantage point.
Direction gives you clarity.
Depth gives you traction. This month, we shift from looking up to looking beneath the surface.
January shifts your attention inward toward rediscovering the internal strengths that shape how you lead beneath the surface - the energy that lives in human behavior, meaning, and motivation. Because leaders don’t just guide from above, they lead by understanding what moves people underneath.
So let’s turn our attention inward - away from aspiration alone.
While some leaders often wait for calm seas before addressing what’s underneath, organizations don’t have that luxury. The undercurrents are always there – shaping behavior, culture, trust, and outcomes – whether they’re acknowledged or not.
I offer a framework to look at the dynamics moving beneath your organization’s surface.
Let’s dive in.
On the surface, some organizations are battling volatility, urgency, and noise. Other organizations are recalibrating resources, budgets and expectations. The real indicator of stability isn’t what’s happening above the waterline – it’s what’s happening underneath it. The question for leaders and resource managers isn’t “When will things calm down?” It’s “What’s happening beneath the surface of our organization – and are we strengthening the systems that will carry us through what’s coming next?”
The strongest organizations don’t wait for calm seas to build capability. They strengthen the people, processes and leadership acumen that hold steady, no matter the tide.
Four essential undercurrents quietly determine whether strategy becomes reality for high-performing cultures:
Cultural infrastructure
Emotional fluency
Leadership development in motion
Succession depth
Undercurrent 1: Culture as an Operating System – Not a Slogan
Culture isn’t a tagline. It’s the operating system that drives decisions, relationships, and communication – especially under pressure.
When environments become volatile, culture either anchors the organization or amplifies its fractures. Values that look strong in stable seasons often reveal their true nature in moments of strain. Accountability, transparency, respect, and clarity matter most when things get uncomfortable. You don’t have time to evaluate these qualities under stress. It’s critical to fortify them before stressors hit.
Healthy cultures aren’t built in celebration; they’re reinforced in tension. This is where credibility is created or lost – and where leaders earn trust that outlasts uncertainty.
Undercurrent 2: Emotional Fluency – The Hidden Language of Leadership
Emotional fluency is the ability to read, regulate and respond to emotion as data. During uncertainty, emotional cues reveal where fear tightens behavior, where resistance forms, where decision making can miss targets, where fatigue lowers commitment, and where confidence is rising or falling.
Let’s be clear, the word emotion has always brought rolled eyes, dismissal as value targets and has historically carried a bad wrap in general. So let’s bring this topic into the wide open – humans have emotions. It’s not a soft topic. It’s a critical component of being human. If you ignore them as a part of your workforce, you are missing a key driver of connecting with your stakeholders and the execution of your business vision.
Emotionally fluent leaders interpret tone shifts, tension points, silence, and micro-signals as valuable information. This is the relational intelligence that bridges the gap between leadership and connecting with your workforce – because it multiplies trust, stability, and retention.
Emotionally fluent leaders don’t just manage morale; they interpret tone shifts, tension points, and silence as valuable information.
A strong leader with emotional intelligence in addition to strategic qualities and decision making will maximize trust and meaningful impact. Your workforce is craving this type of leader.
Undercurrent 3: Development in Motion – Preparing for the Next Wave
Many organizations treat leadership development as an event, a scheduled collaborative or offsite training. Real capability is built while the system is in motion, during the stress, course corrections and unintended mishaps. Every day and every connection develops a strong leader with ample opportunities to model the stalwart role that brings attention.
Every shift, disruption, conflict or tightening of resources is a live growth opportunity for adaptability. Leaders who live by excellence standards cultivate decision-making in motion, adaptability under stress, and grounded confidence under pressure.
This is the difference between a culture that constantly puts out fires and a culture that learns to mitigate them swiftly and stay in control while remaining nimble and flexible in addressing goals.
Undercurrent 4: Succession Strength – Building Depth Before It’s Needed
I am often surprised to hear that most organizations have a shallow leadership bench. One resignation, promotion, or leave of absence reveals a gap and impact that shows how fragile the structure might be.
Succession strength is less about having a backup and more about building readiness by pulling your staff into opportunities to learn while doing. Without depth, leaders get pulled out of their lane and bandwidth collapses. With depth, development becomes part of the system, part of the culture and your workforce becomes excited for new opportunities. It’s retention and loyalty building – not a scramble.
Professional development workshops, strengths-based resilience training and executive team coaching are not extras. They are the critical recurring infrastructure that sustain continuity, a common language, confidence and enthusiasm beneath the surface.
Calm moments don’t define leadership – preparation does.
These four undercurrents form the same foundation I teach leaders when we work on strengthening their capacity to lead under pressure – not by pressure, but by grounded, responsive leadership.
Tips:
The organizations that thrive in uncertain environments operate with a dual lens – today’s execution and tomorrow’s knowledge and strengths. They invest in workforce and leadership development early. They align strategy, people, and behaviors through continuous improvement and invite a theme of curiosity to increase knowledge, intrinsic growth and critical thinking in addition to skill mastery.
Ask yourself:
Where are we quietly waiting for calm, instead of strengthening our ability to adapt?
Which systems or repeated habits anchor us – and which ones weigh us down?
How are we preparing our people to navigate uncertainty with confidence not resistance?
Consider this:
Strong leaders don’t wait for the waters to settle before setting direction. They continuously lead beneath the surface – where depth, clarity, culture and readiness create the foundation that steadies the entire organization.
Leading forward,
Michelle
Bridging The Gap - where insight leads to impact.
Appreciating Colleagues, Partners and Employees
The holiday season and beginning of a new year offer a natural moment to slow down, recognize the people who move the work forward, and honor the relationships that make success possible. As technology accelerates and organizations push for greater efficiency, it’s easy for human connection to slip into the background. Yet, as I often reflect with the leaders – connection, engagement, and the emotional experiences that make us human, remain at the heart of every great organization.
Here are a few ways to keep that human connection present this season:
A personal touch with a note or card
When you’re recognizing someone specific, keep it sincere and timely. A handwritten note shows you took the time to acknowledge someone personally; in a business setting, it still carries extraordinary weight.
With so many ways to communicate electronically, personal gestures often get lost. A simple thank you card can make a lasting impression and strengthen relationships with colleagues, contractors, and employees alike.
Social media shout-outs
Public recognition matters. A thoughtful post on your organization’s social platforms can highlight individuals, teams, or departments in meaningful ways.
This might look like:
a gratitude list
a group photo with a message of thanks
a company-wide gratitude campaign
Public appreciation amplifies connection and reminds people how their contributions matter.
WIT Certificates
“Whatever It Takes” Certificates are a simple, creative way to acknowledge extra effort. These can be printed in-house and given to employees or teams who step up to complete a project, meet a deadline, or support a colleague.
You may be surprised at how proudly people display them. Recognition doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful.
Meaningful meals
A memorable gathering doesn’t require a large budget. Low-cost options can still show genuine care and create moments of connection.
Here are two easy approaches:
Potluck party: Invite your team to bring a dish from their culture or a family tradition. It celebrates the person behind the role and brings authenticity into the workplace.
Post-holiday gathering: Holiday décor and venues often go on sale after the holidays. A post-season celebration can stand apart from the busy December rush and offer a refreshing way to reconnect.
Because The Heart Of Every Great Organization Still Beats Human.™
-Michelle Ogle, Bridge Executive Coaching
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Culture Conversations
Through the end of 2025, Michelle is offering a courtesy in-person talk to organizations within San Luis Obispo County.
Drawing on her human-centered approach to leadership and workplace culture, Michelle brings awareness to:
Meaning of connection
Team synergy
Navigating AI in a human world
Realignment around purpose
Motivation defined
Michelle brings enthusiasm and fresh perspectives and opens the door to renewed possibility.
Can your people use a fresh spark?
Claim your courtesy in-person Culture Conversation and discover how to reignite purpose, momentum, and meaningful energy in your workplace.
Because The Heart Of Every Great Organization Still Beats Human.™
-Michelle Ogle, Bridge Executive Coaching
Michelle C. Ogle, M.A., Executive Coach, Organizational Consultant
Michelle blends human-centered insight with psychology-informed leadership and behavioral strategies to help executives lead with clarity, composure, and grounded confidence. Her work consistently opens new pathways for possibility, performance, and connection.