What Leaders Can Control in Uncertain Times
The Howardco team exploring how intentional leadership and strong manager capability help businesses stay focused during uncertain times.
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes with leading a business right now. You are watching costs, staying close to clients, and trying to keep your team focused while the ground keeps shifting. A recent survey found that economic uncertainty is the top growth barrier for 38% of businesses, regardless of size.
What reactive leadership is costing you
When leaders are under sustained pressure, the default is often reactive: communication tightens, expectations blur, difficult conversations get delayed, and managers are left to figure things out on their own.
In Australia, Gartner found that manager quality remained in the top three reasons employees leave their jobs across consecutive quarters last year.
When managers are not equipped, uncertainty gets amplified. When they are, it gets absorbed.
The one shift that changes everything
The most effective leaders in uncertain times are not the ones with more answers. They are the ones who are deliberate about where they focus their energy.
You cannot control the economy. You cannot control what your competitors do or what next month brings.
But you can control how clearly you communicate, how consistently you set expectations, whether your managers are equipped to lead people well, and whether important conversations happen early or are avoided until they become bigger problems.
Intentional leadership is not a mindset shift. It is a set of practical habits, applied consistently.
A study shows that leaders of highly engaged teams give 18% more continuous feedback, create 20% more aligned goals, hold 12% more one-on-ones, and take 22% more action after surveys than less effective leaders.
Five practical things YOU can do this week
The most useful question in uncertain times is not, “How do we remove uncertainty?”
It is:
What can we lead more deliberately from here?
Here are five practical places to start.
1. Sort what is in your control, influence, and concern
Write down what is taking up the most mental space. Sort each item: can you control it, influence it, or only be concerned by it?
Most leaders find too much attention sitting in the third column. The goal is not to ignore those concerns. It is to stop letting them crowd out the leadership work that is actually available to you.
Ask yourself: what is one controllable leadership action I can take this week?
2. Identify the manager capability gap that is costing you most
Most managers are promoted because they are good at the technical side of the job. The people side is where the gap tends to show up, and most were never formally trained for it. In Australia, roughly one in three managers say they felt unprepared when they stepped into a leadership role. (Sources: Gallup, State of the Global Workplace, Reward Gateway, Workplace Engagement Index Australia)
The question to ask is not "how do we develop our managers?" It is: which manager in our business is technically strong but not yet confident leading people, and what specifically is the gap?
Vague development plans get pushed aside under pressure. Specific ones become a priority.
3. Ask one better question in your next manager check-in
When pressure is high, check-ins become operational. Try one of these instead:
What conversation are you avoiding that probably needs to happen?
Where is your team unclear or waiting for direction?
What people issue is taking more energy than it should?
These questions surface the issues affecting performance before they become harder to fix. This is also where productive conflict becomes relevant: not forcing difficult conversations, but creating structured space for them to happen.
4. Clarify one expectation that has become vague
Uncertainty creates drift. Priorities shift. Roles stretch. People start guessing what matters most.
Pick one area that feels unclear and ask: what does ‘good’ look like here? Make it explicit.
Clarity reduces friction and helps managers lead without needing to check every small decision.
5. Keep showing up consistently
Gartner found that 75% of HR leaders say their managers are overwhelmed, and 69% say leaders are not equipped to lead change. The answer is not to do more. It is to protect the basics.
Choose one rhythm, whether a weekly check-in, a fortnightly one-on-one, or a Monday priority reset, and keep it. In uncertain times, consistency builds trust because people know where direction and accountability will come from.
Ready to build this into your business?
Join our live six-month online manager development program. It is built for managers who are good at their jobs but were never shown how to manage people.
The next cohort of The Practical Manager starts in July 2026. Only 12 spots available.
A Final Thought for Leaders
Uncertainty can make leadership feel bigger, heavier, and more complicated than usual.
But in most cases, the most useful response is not to look further out. It is to look closer to home.
How are we leading? How are our managers leading? Where are expectations unclear?
You may not be able to control the market, the economy, or the next shift in conditions. But you can control how your people are led through it.
And right now, that is where the difference is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does intentional leadership mean in practice?
It means being deliberate about how you lead rather than reacting to pressure. Focusing on what you can control, communicating clearly, setting expectations consistently, and building the capability of the people around you.
How can leaders manage uncertainty without having all the answers?
By being honest about what is uncertain while still giving people direction and clear priorities. The goal is not perfect certainty. The goal is steady, consistent leadership.
Why does manager capability matter so much in uncertain times?
Because managers shape the day-to-day experience of the team. Research reveals employees under high-performing leaders are 4.5 times more likely to be high performers themselves. When managers are equipped, problems are handled earlier and the business is less dependent on senior leaders solving every people issue.
What is The Practical Manager and who is it for?
A six-month live online manager development program for managers who are technically capable but have had limited development in how to manage people. It covers feedback, communication, accountability, and performance conversations. Next cohort starts 8 July 2026.
