Tough Times Need New Maps
The times are asking much of us. Working alongside leaders and teams around the world, I see many leaders and teams navigating change they did not choose, ambiguity they cannot fully resolve, and outcomes they cannot confidently predict. Yet many of them still hold a sense that certainty and clarity are possible – through the re-org, the transformation, the new strategy, the refreshed structure. In times like these, our instinct is often to get a ‘grip’ on the situation – understand it and be more knowing, create immediate answers and implement new solutions – and drive harder toward control.
The challenge is that this pushing forward is often premised on old world models, and outdated views of leadership and leading, teams and teaming. The story underlying all of these approaches is that uncertainty is a problem to solve. If we work harder and throw all we have at the situation, we will gain control and clarity.
This is an impossible task given the range and depth of uncertainty and disruption in almost every region, and almost every sector in late 2026. As I partner with clients I see the fatigue, the fear and the darkest faces of leadership emerging in this battle for certainty and control.
My approach, as witness and someone walking her own journey through these times, is to change how we are looking at this tricky new territory. Rather than a problem to solve, my sense is that it is more useful to see uncertainty as a very confronting human experience, and one which requires new ways of navigation.
Messy Middles and All Our Parts
Tough times need new maps, and I find two powerful perspectives most useful to help us to find our footing in this uncharted and rough terrain; and both bring guiding principles and practical tools to leaders and teams.
Firstly, from the wise William Bridges, we learn that disruption is not just about change. Change is external. Transition is internal. We often focus on new strategies, structures, technologies, or operating models, while overlooking the psychological journey people are making. Bridges reminds us that every transition begins with an ending, moves through a messy middle, and eventually leads to a new beginning. The discomfort many teams feel is not necessarily resistance. It may simply be the natural response to being between what was and what will be.
Next, from a relatively new approach for me – Internal Family Systems (IFS) – we understand that uncertainty activates different parts of us and we have a unique blueprint around change, transitions and uncertainty. Much of this has been learned in our early years as protective strategies. They might have been rational at the time, but might well now be out of date and are activated by a nervous system that is activated by its sense of danger.
Perhaps a part of us wants to control everything, a part fears making mistakes, a part becomes defensive and backs away, or a part catastrophises about the future and sees all the risks ahead and bad omens on the path. These parts are not the enemy. They are trying to help. The challenge is that when they run things, we lose access to our grounded, calm, connected inner leadership and our positive and productive teaming.
I often find that bringing curiosity and compassion are valuable antidotes to the white-knuckle grip we often try to hold in uncertain situations.
Curious and Curiouser
In times like these, where we are often operating off the old maps, curiosity becomes a leadership discipline.
For leaders, this means creating space for questions without rushing to immediate solutions. It means acknowledging what is unknown while maintaining confidence in the team’s ability to navigate it. It means communicating honestly without pretending to have certainty you do not possess.
For teams, it means resisting the temptation to fill gaps with assumptions. It means checking stories against facts, seeking understanding before judgment, and supporting one another through the ambiguity.
Rather than asking, ‘What’s wrong here?’, curiosity asks, ‘What might we not yet understand?’ rather than saying, ‘We know how this will end,’ curiosity asks, ‘What else could be true?’ . Rather than assuming, curiosity inquires.
(It is obviously no coincidence that Brené Brown and Adam Grant’s new podcast is called ‘The Curiosity Shop’. It’s worth a listen, and found wherever you access your podcasts).
With our Whole Hearts
In times like these, where uncertainty can leave us questioning ourselves, our decisions and our capacity to cope, compassion becomes a leadership discipline too.
For leaders, this means recognising that disruption is not only a strategic challenge but a human one. It means meeting our own mistakes and limitations with honesty rather than self-criticism, and extending the same grace to others as they navigate change. It means creating environments where people can be human without lowering expectations for performance or accountability.
For teams, it means remembering that struggle is not a personal failing but a shared part of being human. It means responding to setbacks with support rather than blame, acknowledging the pressures people may be carrying, and recognising that resilience is often built through connection rather than individual endurance.
Drawing on Kristin Neff’s work, compassion begins with mindfulness as we notice what is happening without exaggerating it or pushing it away. It is grounded in common humanity as we remember that uncertainty, doubt and vulnerability are experiences we all share. Finally, it is expressed through self-kindness as we respond to ourselves and others as we would to someone we respect and care about.
Rather than asking, ‘Why can’t they cope with this?’ compassion asks, ‘what might they be carrying right now?’ Rather than saying, ‘They should be handling this better,’ compassion asks, ‘What support might help them move forward?’ Rather than judging, compassion seeks to understand. Rather than hardening, compassion softens and stays connected.
Curiosity helps us make sense of uncertainty. Compassion helps us travel through it together.
The Invitation
Recognise the ending that is occurring. Accept that the messy middle will feel uncomfortable. Notice the parts of yourself and your team that uncertainty activates. Meet them with curiosity and compassion rather than criticism and judgment. Softening builds flexibility, and so agility.
In uncertain times, certainty is rarely available. Curiosity, courage, and connection always are.
I will be writing regularly on topics like this, as I share principles, practices and approaches both grounded in science and deeply human, and stories from my work with leaders and teams finding their way with new maps.