A senior leader I work with said something that rings true for most leaders:
“Everyone expects clarity from me. But I’m figuring things out just like everyone else.”
That sentence captures a quiet truth of leadership today. The world keeps shifting, technology, geopolitics, even what people want from work, and what work expects from its people, yet we still expect leaders to know exactly where we’re headed.
The problem is, no one has that kind of certainty anymore. Plans expire faster than they’re written. The map changes mid-journey. And still, teams look to their leaders for direction. And while there is no write or wrong to this, what does it mean to lead when you don’t have all the answers? Through our work we have realized that there are some practices and mind shift changes that help.
- Redefine clarity: Clarity doesn’t mean having every detail worked out. It means helping people see what’s true right now and what we’re working toward. A leader can say, “Here’s what we know, here’s what’s still unclear, and here’s how we’ll decide.”
That kind of honesty creates trust. It replaces the illusion of control with shared understanding.
2. Lead through process, not perfection: When circumstances are unpredictable, your consistency matters more than your certainty. How you think, decide, and communicate becomes the anchor. Teams draw confidence from a leader whose process is visible and dependable, even if the answers evolve. Being reliable before being right.
3. Share the uncertainty: Leaders often carry ambiguity alone, believing their job is to shield others from it. In reality, inviting your team into the thinking process builds ownership and reduces anxiety. Ask, “What patterns are you seeing?” or “What do you think we should test first?” When people help make sense of the unknown, they feel part of the solution, not victims of change.
4. Ground decisions in values: When the future is hazy, your principles become the clearest guide. Leaders who anchor choices in purpose and values offer stability when direction is unclear. Saying, “We may change the plan, but not what we stand for,” keeps the organisation coherent even when strategies shift.
5. Model learning: People trust leaders who are learning in public. Admitting what you’re figuring out signals strength, not weakness. It gives your team permission to experiment, adjust, and grow alongside you. Uncertainty becomes less threatening when learning is normalised.
6. Protect your own clarity: You can’t offer steadiness if you’re running on fumes. Reflection, rest, and peer conversations aren’t indulgences, they are tools of leadership.Taking time to think, even briefly, helps you respond instead of react. Your personal coherence shapes how your team experiences uncertainty.
The new kind of clarity
Clarity, today, is less about knowing and more about staying responsive.
When leaders show how they think, invite others into the process, and act from a place of purpose, they build trust even in flux. That steadiness becomes the quiet kind of strength people lean on when things feel uncertain.
This question of how we lead when the answers aren’t obvious sits at the heart of much of our work. It’s something we continue to explore with the leaders and teams we work with, and perhaps it’s a question worth pausing with in your own context too. And if this is a question you are struggling with, let’s chat.
