In this week’s Ready to Rise monthly webinar, we paused to reflect on just how much can change in a matter of weeks.
At the end of February, I was boarding a flight to London. Fuel prices were sitting around $1.70 per litre, and while there was some background noise around inflation and interest rates, most of us were firmly in execution mode - heads down, sleeves rolled up, delivering on our 2026 plans.
Fast forward just four weeks, and we’re now navigating geopolitical instability, rapidly rising costs, and the early ripple effects of global supply chain disruption. Petrol has surged to $2.50 per litre, and for many businesses, the cost base has shifted almost overnight.
It’s increasingly unlikely that many organisations will land at the end of 2026 anywhere near the plans they started with.
That brought us to the question of what does leadership look like when the conditions change this quickly and this unpredictably?
The Leadership Shift: From Planner to Captain
When the seas are calm, leadership is about execution, but when the storm hits, leadership becomes something else entirely. It becomes about composure, clarity, and course correction.
Here are three principles I shared in the session that matter most when you’re navigating uncertainty:
1. Project Calm Even When You Don’t Feel It
Your team will take their cues from you. If you look panicked, uncertainty spreads quickly and decisions made in panic are rarely good ones.
This doesn’t mean ignoring reality, it means holding your nerve long enough to respond strategically, not emotionally.
2. Stay Glued to the Instruments
In volatile conditions, your data matters more than ever. Know your lead indicators and track them consistently.
Early warning signs are your greatest advantage, they buy you time to act before small issues become major problems.
3. Build Plan B Before You Need It
The best leaders don’t wait for confirmation that they’re off course, they’re already mapping alternative routes.
When the alarms start sounding it’s too late to begin thinking from scratch, but preparation allows you to pivot with confidence, not desperation.
The Opportunity Hidden in the Storm
Storms are uncomfortable, there’s no way around that but they’re also where some of the most defining decisions are made.
When I look back across our journey from pharmacy to manufacturing to cancer care and beyond, the decisions that shaped our long-term trajectory were rarely made in calm conditions.
They were made in moments of pressure, because when everything is stable, there’s no urgency to think differently.
When the pressure hits, creativity sharpens, focus intensifies and your priorities become very clear.
The Reality Ahead
Even when this current storm passes, the seas are unlikely to settle immediately.
We’re entering a period where sustained volatility will be the norm not the exception, and that’s why the decisions you make now matter so much.
The way you lead, the course you set, the pivots you’re willing to make will shape not just your 2026 outcome but your longer-term trajectory as a leader and as a business.
You can’t control the storm, but you can absolutely control how you show up as the captain. In times like these, that’s what your team and your future needs most.
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