Leadership in Uncertainty Becomes Defining Skill for Executives in 2026

The traditional leadership playbook is being rewritten by a permanent state of flux.

The five highest measurements of global economic uncertainty since the 80s have all occurred within the last five years, and this isn't just a macro trend, it's hitting the front lines with uncertainty mentioned in employee reviews, and that is skyrocketing, with nearly 90% of corporate earnings statements now highlighting these risks.

The defining trait of a successful leader is no longer just strategic foresight, but the ability to navigate the unknown without losing momentum.

Joining me this morning here at the New York Stock Exchange is Georgie Dickens, co-founder at Casa Group.

Georgie, wonderful to have you back.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Pleasure.

Thank you for having me.

Well, here we are at the New York Stock Exchange.

Month one of 2026 is in the books, but what a month that has been.

And when we think about all the leaders, the executives that lead the companies listed here at the New York Stock Exchange, we know there has been plenty of uncertainty.

So where we stand right now, what would you say to leaders out there? and I think.

It's several weeks into the year, but it feels like months already, and it's interesting.

I think people come back after Christmas and expect everyone to feel renewed and reinvigorated, but you know it's a reset, and I think really the pace of change today is extraordinary, and we are, you know, leaders everywhere inundated with new entrants, AI, tokenization, private versus public market.

So getting ahead of that pace of change, I think, is critical.

So I think curiosity, I know that's a word that that's bandied around a lot, but you have to lead.

So you have to be knowledgeable enough, that's when you take people on that journey with you.

And what I see many leaders doing, you know, if we think about AI really giving thought to what do I what do I need to know about AI, surrounding themselves with AI experts, really having that learning agility so they can make informed decisions, they can make those critical decisions based on a place of good judgment because they're feeding themselves with the right inputs.

But it's the world is moving faster than ever before, so I also think leaders have to be more resilient than ever before.

And resilience is a word that we continue to hear but curiosity is something that doesn't pop up and given all the volatility we're seeing across the world, I think all of us are looking to leaders, leaders that can lead by example as you said, so how can people who work at corporations figure out what's right.

What's wrong and how do they decide who to look up to?

I think it's about who are your trusted sources, um, because if you think about the media you read, there will be certain media outlets or certain people you go to who you trust.

So I think trust is more important than ever before, and, and I think a lot of leaders, they surround themselves with a trusted tribe, people they go to for advice, for support, for input.

Um, people who could be their checks and balance, people who could be their mirror, I think the same is true of any individual, it's about having those people around you that you trust, um, and knowing that you're always, you're never gonna have a complete data set, but like where you can inform yourself with, you know, good inputs.

Yeah, and we know that many corporations are facing challenges as well as pressures.

So how do they go about navigating this landscape, especially given what we've seen so far this year?

Yeah, I think transparency is equity.

Um, there are so many, I think when leaders, when they fail to be transparent in terms of what's the vision, what's the mission, what are we thinking about, that's when those water cooler conversations start.

So I think where you can, Be as transparent as possible because then that avoids the storytelling, the second guessing, um, when, when individuals are in a place of ambiguity, no one likes uncertainty, so I'd say transparency, communicate, over communicate, and I think for leaders today it's about being the CRO, which is also the chief repetition Officer, reminding people what's the strategy, what are we working towards, um, and equally if you can't give them a full you know suite of information, sharing that as well.

And Georgie, when it comes to organizations, whether they're public or private, we know that culture is key.

And you mentioned artificial intelligence, and that is something that has entered the workplace.

But leaders at the top, we know that they face loneliness.

So how can they manage this and how key is it to really connect with others within an organization?

It's such an interesting point you raise, Remy, and I think loneliness is such a feature for today's leaders.

I said all these new entrants, AI automation, there is so much they're having to deal with.

I look back to leaders 1020 years ago, shareholder value, there were several key things they had to focus on, whereas now that change, things they're having to keep abreast of.

And for leaders, they may feel alone, but they're not alone.

They have many people around them, but I don't think. could still be very isolating because very few people really get what it means to be a CEO.

The responsibility that comes with the seat, the scrutiny, the judgment, the everyone looks to you for confidence, for decision making.

That's why I think that trusted tribe, your internal board of directors is so critical.

No one's an island, no one can move through their careers on their own.

We all need people around us.

And as you mentioned, it does feel as though it's been months and not just one month since the new year kicked off but for leaders who are watching right now and still have a vision for a successful 2026.

What would you say?

I would say that way you can I know this.

Enjoy, have fun, I think life is the journey and I think we can, we can often get stuck in the minutia, we can get distracted by a lot of noise.

A client recently used the analogy of, um, he said for his leadership, he said it's about being a a seaplane, a surfer, a scuba diver, or a snorsnorkeler or a scuba diver.

And just check in if you're too much, you know, scuba diving, you know, the seaplane is where you get perspective, you see pathways, you see possibilities, so you know, don't get too stuck in the noise, very difficult because you're going to be pulled in there, but where you can, you know, get that seaplane level because that's where you can really, you know, focus on strategy.

Yeah, I really like that analogy and that vision.

So thank you so much, Georgie, as always for joining us here at the New York Stock Exchan.

Thank you, Emmy.

Thank you.