Managing Uncertainty - You’ve Done This Before

Dec 10

One of the most common questions leaders ask me today is, “What are you seeing in the landscape of uncertainty in business and how are people managing it?”

There’s no single answer. Uncertainty isn’t a moment in time; it is a constant force carried by undercurrents that shift direction without warning and require leaders to respond with steadiness and calm. Uncertainty touches every corner of the workplace and it deserves a clear, grounded conversation. This will be the first of many.

In today’s business climate, uncertainty isn’t a passing inconvenience – it’s the environment leaders and organizations navigate daily. Decisions speed up, pressure intensifies, and the emotional tone inside the organization shifts quickly. Yet the truth is simple:

You’ve led through uncertainty before – just not at this volume.

While everything around you accelerates, the real work continues beneath the surface. Understanding what actually destabilizes leaders and remembering what strengths you already embody, are the first steps toward restoring steadiness.

The Four Impacts Of Uncertainty

Here is a framework that reveals how uncertainty moves beneath the surface and influences leaders, teams and the broader organization. Breaking it down this way, will better help you identify on which impact your intentional reinforcement first needs to focus.

Impact 1: Physiological Disruption

Your nervous system detects any threat before the mind interprets what is happening.

Within milliseconds, the body reacts: breathing shortens, muscles tense, vision narrows and overwhelm increases. You may have heard the term “survival mode.” While uncertainty doesn’t feel like something to “survive,” your body doesn’t know the difference. It senses threat and responds accordingly – sometimes as a freeze or a feeling of internal stuckness.

Depending on the gravity of the uncertainty, leaders may subconsciously shift into a self-induced urgency without realizing it. Cognitive skills haven’t come online yet. Focus narrows, emotional cues are missed, and while thoughts speed up, ideas and decisions become far less precise.

As this energy takes hold internally, it also begins to show externally – in your pace, tone, body language and micro-expressions. Others may see abrupt responses, rushing between tasks, or partial attention in conversations. They may not understand the cause, but they will feel the shift. Discomfort spreads quickly.

This entire process happens quickly. You can’t stop the initial physiological signal – but you can learn to recognize it, understand it and plan how to regulate it before it cascades.

Impact 2: Cognitive Overload

Once your physical state is activated, clarity fades. Your mind works harder to maintain your usual cadence, but uncertainty disrupts the ability to prioritize and problem-solve effectively. Leaders may hesitate, over-process, second-guess decisions, or wait for perfect information that never comes.

Momentum slows. Reactivity increases. Many describe this as brain fog or feeling directionless about where to begin.

Impact 3: Relational Fracture Under Strain

Physical tension and cognitive overload naturally spill into communication and relationships. Tone shifts. Body language becomes inconsistent. Micro-messages are misinterpreted. Some leaders go quiet; others show distress.

As transparency decreases, trust weakens. Teams absorb the emotional tone and the nervous energy spreads.

If this pattern continues, working relationships strain. When leaders go into self-preservation mode, they can appear aloof or disengaged. This isn’t failure – it’s an understandable human response. But it requires awareness to navigate the ebb and flow of connection under pressure.

Impact 4: Execution Drift

Under pressure, behavior drifts away from values, direction, and intention. Leaders react instead of respond. Cognitive whitespace disappears. Execution becomes fragmented.

Across a culture, these shifts send a signal – something isn’t right. When stability feels uncertain, fear rises and alignment begins to erode.

These impacts aren’t failures – they are human.

Not everyone feels all four impacts, and not to the same degree. But they are predictable. Every organization experiences them and every leader has moved through them. This means they can be managed, prepared for, and improved with intentional practice.

And here’s the important part: they are counterbalanced by internal leadership forces that restore steadiness, direction and credibility under pressure.

You’ve done this before. You know how to lead – even when conditions change.

Your Internal Forces Are Already There

Like you, every leader has a personal set of stabilizers – the strengths that keep you steady when circumstances shift. You’ve honed them over years of lived experience.

For some, it’s the ability to regulate their internal state. For others, it’s calm, clear thinking under stress. Some lean on trusted relationships, and others take aligned action even in ambiguity.

Uncertainty doesn’t demand new strengths. It asks you to trust the ones you’ve already earned.

Steadiness Is A Strategy

When leaders reconnect to their internal forces, momentum resets. Cognitive whitespace returns. And with it comes the recognition, “I know how to do this. I’ve done this before.”

As you re-engage your strengths, your people will shift too. Teams orient differently. Tension eases. Calm spreads. Culture steadies.

Emotionally regulated leaders reduce conflict, stabilize morale, and strengthen the narrative people follow.

These human forces – your human forces, are the anchors that help organizations move through uncertainty with less friction and more cohesion.

Tips:

Let’s revisit your strengths – the answers and capacity you already have.

• When was the last time things felt unpredictable?

• What internal force did you lean on – instinct, logic, calm, connection, courage?

• How did you steady yourself or calm others?

• Which of those strengths can you bring forward today?

Consider this:

The next time uncertainty pulls your attention toward everything you cannot control, pause and ask:

Where have I navigated the unknown before – and what helped me?
Where can I pause, regroup and access the calming strategies I know well?

Your roadmap has been with you all along.

Those insights and skills are your stabilizers. They’re not theoretical skills – they are lived. They are earned. And they are yours.

Leading forward,

Michelle

Bridging The Gap - where insight leads to impact.

Giving Thanks To Colleagues, Partners and Employees

The holiday season and the approaching end of a year offers 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

TARGET LEADERSHIP ACUMEN!

Leadership Under Pressure

Advanced executive coaching that helps leaders refine their presence, increase cognitive precision, and sustain meaningful impact in complex environments.

Leadership Under Pressure

Claim Your Courtesy Offer

Culture Conversation

Michelle is offering a courtesy in-person session to organizations within San Luis Obispo County. She brings enthusiasm and fresh perspectives and opens the door to renewed possibility.

Drawing on her human-centered approach to leadership and workplace culture, Michelle highlights:

The meaning of connection and synergy
Navigating AI in a human world
Reigniting purpose
Motivation and drive - have you found yours?

Claim Courtesy Offer

Can your people use a fresh spark?

Claim your courtesy in-person Culture Conversation and discover how to reignite purpose, momentum, and meaning in your workplace.