A pair of experts say the cost of avoiding uncertainty isn't loud failure. It's quiet, creeping disengagement
With economic pressure, organisational change and workforce disruption reshaping workplaces in 2026, the ability to lead through uncertainty has become one of the most critical and most underdeveloped skills in people leadership.
Two experts who work with leaders daily say the answer is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to fundamentally change how leaders relate to it.
"The most effective leaders don’t try and eliminate challenge, setback and struggle; they embrace and build tolerance for it in their teams," he said. "Leaders need to trade conviction for curiosity and create environments where uncertainty promotes insights, ideas and growth."
Leah Mether, a communication and soft skills specialist agreed, and added that clarity and transparency are the practical tools leaders too often overlook when things feel unstable.
"Leaders need to accept that navigating uncertainty is part of the job, not a problem to eliminate," Mether said. "The key is to create clarity where you can and be as transparent as possible, even if you don’t have all the answers. Share what you know, what you’re doing about it, and what you don’t know yet - and keep your message simple so people aren’t left filling in the gaps."
She also urged leaders to expect emotional responses from their teams and from themselves. "When leaders combine clarity, empathy and consistency, they steady the ship, even when the waters are rough. It’s about balancing warmth with strength and candour with compassion while guiding people through it."
What self-doubt is really telling you
Both Horsfield and Mether pushed back on the common leadership assumption that self-doubt is a sign of weakness. For Horsfield, it is a signal worth paying close attention to.
"Self-doubt is often a positive signal a leader is pushing at the edge of their competence," he said. "The task isn’t to eradicate it, but mobilise it. Seeing doubt (or any obstacle in front of you) as a teacher showing you the path to where you want to go. Making this mental shift creates a profound shift where doubt becomes a playground for potential."
Mether framed it in equally practical terms, pointing to the inner voice that tells leaders they are not ready or not good enough. "That little voice saying you’re not ready, not good enough, or about to make a fool of yourself shows up for everyone - the difference is whether you listen to it or lead anyway," she said. "Ask yourself, 'What would I say to a friend or colleague in this situation?' because we're often far harsher on ourselves than others."
Her core message to leaders was a direct one: action precedes confidence, not the other way around. "Self-doubt is normal, especially when you're stretching, but confidence doesn't come before action – it comes from it. Be courageous and take action, even a baby step. You don't get good at what you don't do."
The quiet cost of avoidance
The consequences of leaving these challenges unaddressed, both experts warned, are not always dramatic or immediately visible – which is precisely what makes them dangerous.
Horsfield described the real cost as "the quiet hum of discontent." "Cultures where people feel like their days are accumulating, but not counting for much, as they follow busy leaders who aren't being brave enough," he said. "If left unaddressed, the people, progress and performance of the organisation will eventually erode."
Mether put it even more bluntly. "Avoidance doesn't make problems disappear; it makes them grow. When leaders don't address uncertainty, silence creates a vacuum and people fill it with rumour, fear and worst-case thinking."
The downstream impact, she said, is predictable. "When they don't address their own self-doubt, it shows up as hesitation, mixed messages, poor decisions or no decisions at all. Trust drops, resistance rises, performance suffers and good people start checking out. What feels easier in the short term usually creates a much bigger mess later."
For human resources leaders responsible for building leadership capability across their organisations, both Horsfield and Mether's message is the same: the most important thing is not to have all the answers, but to build the kind of culture where not having them is not the end of the conversation.
As HRD's analysis of human-centric leadership shows, HR professionals are increasingly being called on to move beyond the hype of change programs and focus on how leadership is actually practised day-to-day in their organisations.
