10/01/2025
In Uncertainty, Your Presence is More Powerful Than Your Plans
The boardroom fell silent. Months of strategic planning, erased by a market shift nobody anticipated. As eyes searched for answers, what mattered most was not a discarded roadmap—it was how the leader showed up: steady and willing to sit with the unknown.
Here lies the paradox of modern leadership. In a world obsessed with data and plans, the leader’s greatest asset is presence.
WHEN PLANS BECOME PRISON |
Many top executives build their careers around careful planning. Yet, when uncertainty hits, it’s common to see leaders retreat—not physically, but emotionally. They vanish into “planning mode,” searching for solutions instead of engaging, leaving teams to fill in the silence with worry.
But your team doesn’t need all the answers; they need you to show up.
Research—even in critical care environments—shows that senior leader presence, not perfect plans, determines whether a team copes or breaks. When leaders are present, teams feel supported. When leaders disappear, stress intensifies.
THE EMBODIED LEADER |
True presence is active. It’s being grounded and available, especially as circumstances change.
In my work at Move Mountains, the most effective leaders in uncertainty share three things:
1. Stay in their bodies. Mindful leaders notice stress and return to breath and posture. That’s true strategic intelligence.
2. Embrace “I don’t know.” Admitting uncertainty creates space for solutions, rather than shutting them down.
3. Lead with humanity. People need honest, present leaders—not superheroes.
PRESENCE AS A STRATEGY |
Strategic planning is vital, but in the fog of uncertainty, your presence anchors the team and paves the way for meaningful action.
Your steadiness sets the emotional climate. If you’re grounded, your team will be too.
When uncertainty strikes, don’t vanish. Instead:
1. Be visible—walk the floor and check in.
2. Communicate what you know clearly, even if incomplete.
3. Listen deeply—eye contact, patience, real questions.
4. Model adaptability—show that changing course is wise, not weak.
5. Great leaders know presence creates the conditions for effective planning—not the other way around.
Uncertainty is inevitable. The choice is yours: respond with tension or openness, rigid plans or adaptive presence.
Remember, your team isn’t watching for perfect answers: they’re looking for steadiness. Show up. Lead with humanity. Move the mountain—one step at a time.
