Leadership Feels Harder Than Ever.
The world of work is shifting beneath our feet. Policies are changing. Budgets are being cut. Inclusion efforts are under scrutiny. Resistance is rising—both inside and outside of the workplace.
And through it all, employees are looking to their leaders for clarity and confidence.
But what happens when leaders themselves feel just as uncertain as their teams?
If you’ve ever thought, “How do I keep my team engaged and motivated when I’m struggling with the unknown myself?”—you’re not alone.
The truth is, most leadership models weren’t built for this level of uncertainty. Many traditional leadership programs assume stability—they focus on strategic planning, performance management, and driving results when given perfect (ok, at least really good conditions like solid budget, engaged employees, and government stability).
But what happens when stability is no longer a given?
What happens when the ground keeps shifting, and you’re expected to lead anyway?
This is the reality of leadership today.
And it’s why leaders are telling us everyday that they need a different approach—one that equips them with the skills, mindset, and adaptability to navigate uncertainty, resistance, and organizational change while still fostering psychological safety, inclusion, and a culture of belonging.
How Do You Lead When the Path Forward Is Unclear?
Through my work with leaders in government, nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies, and mission-driven organizations, I’ve seen the same challenges arise:
✔ Leaders hesitate to take action—afraid of making the wrong decision or saying the wrong thing.
✔ Resistance to equity and inclusion grows, and leaders aren’t sure how to push forward without creating backlash.
✔ Team morale starts to decline when employees feel like leadership is uncertain, reactive, or disengaged.
✔ Leaders themselves feel isolated and overwhelmed, unsure of where to turn for strategy and support.
If you’re feeling any of this, know that you’re not alone.
And more importantly—there’s a way forward.
The P.I.V.O.T. Leadership
Approach™: A Framework for Leading in Uncertain Times
To help leaders like you navigate uncertainty with clarity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to inclusion, back in 2017 in another period of uncertainty not dissimilar to the one we are experiencing in 2025, I developed the P.I.V.O.T. Leadership Approach™—a framework for leading through uncertainty while keeping your team engaged and your values intact.
Each letter in P.I.V.O.T.™ represents a key leadership lever that you can pull to maintain stability, influence, and inclusion in times of change.
P.I.V.O.T. Through Uncertainty: 5 Practices for Equitably Leading Change
P - Prepare Yourself for Leadership in Uncertainty
Before leaders can guide others, they must first ground themselves. This lever focuses on two key themes:
Strengthening emotional intelligence and decision-making skills to lead with steadiness in uncertain times.
Defining your leadership stance—because if you don’t, uncertainty will define it for you.
I - Intentional Design: Creating Inclusive & Psychologically Safe Spaces
Employees experience organizational culture, safety, and stability at the team level far more than they do at the company-wide level. This means leaders have a direct opportunity to create certainty through inclusive design.
A key leadership practice here is to:
Design meetings, conversations, and workplace experiences that foster belonging and trust.
Because meetings and team interactions are where employees most tangibly experience psychological safety, leaders must also:
Understand how psychological safety impacts employee engagement and organizational success—and cultivate it in every space where their team members gather.
V - Vision, then Strategy: Leading with Strategic Foresight
Too often, leaders get caught up reacting to the chaos around them, losing sight of the larger vision they originally set in motion. This lever invites leaders to:
Move from reacting to uncertainty → to strategically shaping what’s next.
Use strategic imagination to guide their teams through ambiguity and possibility.
By focusing on vision first, leaders ensure that strategy follows a clear and intentional direction rather than being dictated by external pressures alone.
O - Overcome & Organize: Navigating Resistance & Organizational Change
When resistance emerges during a change effort, the common response is to either fight it or smooth it over—neither of which leads to sustainable progress. The P.I.V.O.T. approach encourages leaders to:
Understand the sources and motivations behind resistance rather than immediately pushing back.
Develop strategies to move forward even when resistance exists.
Shift from conflict to commitment—turning resistance into an opportunity for alignment and long-term buy-in.
T - Transformative Action: Making Leadership Adaptable
At this stage, leaders must resist the trap of perfectionism. The need for absolute certainty or complete information can lead to decision paralysis, slowing down necessary action. Instead, leaders must:
Build a toolkit for making strategic decisions with imperfect conditions and incomplete information.
Embrace adaptability over rigidity—recognizing that action, reflection, and course correction are all part of effective leadership.
Transformation isn’t about having all the answers in advance—it’s about having the courage to take the next right step, even when conditions aren’t perfect.
Key Takeaways for Leading Through Uncertainty
Ground Yourself Before Leading Others – Strengthening emotional intelligence and defining your leadership stance ensures you can lead with clarity and steadiness, even in uncertain times.
Design for Inclusion and Psychological Safety – The workplace culture employees experience happens at the team level—leaders must create certainty through inclusive meetings, conversations, and decision-making spaces.
Lead with Vision, Not Just Reaction – Instead of responding to external pressures, leaders should anchor in a clear vision and use strategic foresight to navigate change with intention.
Act with Adaptability, Not Perfectionism – Leadership isn’t about waiting for perfect conditions; it’s about making informed decisions, staying flexible, and adjusting as needed to drive lasting transformation.
UPCOMING EVENT:
Your Next Step: A 2-Day Leadership Intensive Designed for Times Like These
Right now, you have a choice:
1. You can continue leading through uncertainty the way you’ve always done it—reacting to challenges as they arise, trying to figure it out on your own, and hoping for stability to return.
OR
2. You can step into a leadership approach that gives you the tools, strategies, and real-time support you need to navigate uncertainty with confidence.
That’s exactly what we’ll be covering at my upcoming 2-Day Leadership Intensive:
"Leading Equitably in Uncertain Times" on March 27-28, 2025 in Los Angeles.
This isn’t just another leadership workshop. This is a high-impact, small-group experience (only 24 leaders) where you’ll:
✔ Get expert coaching on your specific leadership challenges ✔ Learn how to manage resistance, maintain inclusion, and create stability—even when everything around you is changing ✔ Develop a 3-month Equity & Inclusion ‘IN Action’ Plan to immediately apply to your organization
Join us in LA: March 27-28, 2024. Register now at www.equityintensive.com
Seats are limited—secure yours today.