Leadership Through Uncertainty: Shaping Talent, Culture and Innovation in a New Era

Strengthening Culture in Uncertain Times

Uncertainty places organisational culture under strain. Without clear expectations and leadership focus, behaviours drift and performance declines.

Panellists discussed how their organisations are keeping culture strong by ensuring leaders remain visible and actively reinforce expectations. One organisation used the appointment of a new CEO as an opportunity to reset cultural standards, ensuring leadership visibility remained high and behavioural expectations were reinforced throughout the transition.

Some also spoke about the importance of defining cultural “non-negotiables” to prevent gradual erosion of standards, particularly during periods of transformation. Sustaining momentum often requires directly addressing behaviours that no longer align, even when under short-term pressure.

Balancing Adaptive and Decisive Leadership

In a fast-changing environment, leaders must carefully balance adaptability with decisiveness. Panellists highlighted the growing focus on developing adaptive leadership capabilities, equipping leaders and individuals with the skills and mindset to navigate ambiguity with curiosity, resilience and openness to change.

At the same time, adaptability alone is not enough. Leaders must also demonstrate conviction and act decisively when clarity emerges, avoiding organisational paralysis and maintaining momentum.

One organisation redesigned its decision-making processes following a failed transformation program, shifting authority closer to where work happens and reducing approval layers. This empowered teams to make faster, better-informed decisions and deliver stronger outcomes.

Effective leadership today requires both the flexibility to adjust strategies as conditions evolve and the decisiveness to keep organisations moving forward when action is required.

AI: Managing Risk and Unlocking Opportunity

While AI is transforming how work gets done, panellists highlighted the importance of building trust before broad adoption. Targeted solutions that eliminated repetitive tasks helped demonstrate tangible value, building confidence and momentum for further adoption.

A few organisations are introducing AI literacy programs to improve digital fluency and help employees understand how AI can unlock human potential by enabling people to focus on more meaningful, higher-value work.

A key insight was that personalisation of AI tools—tailoring solutions to the specific needs of teams and individuals—is delivering the greatest value. While AI drives efficiency in routine activities, humans remain at the centre of high-value work, leading decisions that require empathy, creativity and judgement.

Boards and executives are increasingly focused on the risks and opportunities AI presents, balancing efficiency and scale against concerns about data privacy, workforce displacement and ethical use. HR leaders are playing a critical role in shaping governance frameworks to ensure AI enhances, rather than erodes, the human experience at work.

Curiosity Emerging as a Core Capability

As future skills become harder to define, curiosity is emerging as one of the most valuable capabilities for both leaders and employees.

Panellists discussed how they are helping people build the confidence to explore new ways of working and take on unfamiliar challenges. One organisation has established a dedicated learning academy to foster continuous growth, linking career development to evolving business needs.

Curiosity is also seen as critical to leadership readiness, enabling future leaders to make more informed decisions under pressure and adapt quickly in uncertain environments.

The Expanding Mandate of HR Leadership

Panellists reflected on how HR’s role has shifted from supporting business strategy to actively shaping it. HR leaders are guiding scenario planning to anticipate future capability needs, building leadership pipelines and driving cultural transformation.

As AI adoption accelerates, HR is also playing a vital role in helping boards and executives navigate the risks and opportunities of emerging technologies, ensuring responsible deployment that keeps people at the centre of the workplace experience.

While uncertainty is here to stay, panellists agreed that organisations with strong leadership, practical agility and a sustained focus on developing their people will be best positioned to succeed in the years ahead.

This event formed part of Odgers Berndtson’s ongoing commitment to helping organisations find and enable the leaders they need for what’s next. With offices in over 30 countries, we work with clients to build leadership teams and cultures that thrive through change.

_____________________________________________________

Get in touch. Follow the links below to discover more, or contact our dedicated leadership experts from your local Odgers Berndtson office here.