Calm in the Storm: How Great Leaders Lead in Uncertainty

Exceptional leaders don’t run from chaos, they reframe it. This shift in mindset transforms breakdowns into breakthroughs.

In Leadership in Turbulent Times, Doris Kearns Goodwin illustrates how Abraham Lincoln turned his nation’s deepest crisis, the Civil War, into an opportunity to lead transformational change. He did this not by controlling every outcome, but by framing the conflict within a larger moral vision: unity, freedom, and human dignity (Goodwin, 2018).

Lead with Vision, Even Without Certainty

Leaders who wait for clarity miss their moment. Instead, great leaders guide teams with evolving vision, even if all the details aren’t in place.

Regulate Emotion, Then Lead

In turbulent times, emotions run high. But a leader’s state becomes the team’s emotional baseline. As Leadership in Turbulent Times emphasizes, Franklin Roosevelt’s calm tone during the Great Depression, especially in his “fireside chats” reduced national panic. He didn’t sugar-coat the problem, but his emotional steadiness built public trust (Goodwin, 2018).

Communicate Often, Honestly, and with Purpose

Teams don’t need perfection, they need updates, honesty, and clarity of direction.

Accept Discomfort, Cultivate Curiosity

Be curious, not controlling. That curiosity enables more adaptive responses and invites others to contribute meaningfully.

Adaptive Thinking for Complex Environments

Agile leaders shift mindsets based on changing conditions. They don’t cling to old mental models.

Tools for Leading Through Uncertainty

Principle	What It Looks Like
Reframe uncertainty	“This is hard, but we’ll learn and grow from it.”
Communicate with purpose	Regular, clear updates, even if incomplete
Experiment instead of guess	Use pilots and short feedback loops
Stay emotionally grounded	Reflect before responding; model steadiness
Shift outdated assumptions	Regularly ask: “What if we’re wrong?”
Empower teams	Delegate ownership to boost agency and adaptability

Try This: Your Next Step Toward Calm, Confident Leadership

Uncertainty doesn’t wait, so neither should you. Try holding a 15-minute “pulse check” with your team. No big announcements or solutions needed. Just ask three questions:

1. What’s one thing that feels unclear right now?

2. What’s working, even if it’s small?

3. What’s one idea we haven’t tried yet?

Listen with curiosity. Acknowledge the discomfort. Then reflect on how you can apply one of the leadership tools above, whether it's reframing uncertainty, experimenting on a small scale, or simply modelling steadiness in how you show up.

Leadership in turbulence doesn’t require all the answers, it requires showing up with clarity of purpose, emotional steadiness, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Start there. The rest will follow.

Reference

Goodwin, D. K. (2018). Leadership in Turbulent Times. Simon & Schuster.