How to lead through the unexpected

Conventional wisdom says that if someone has a goal, the best course of action is to put a plan in place to help them achieve it.

But plans, no matter how thorough, don’t account for the truly unpredictable. A volatile market, global disruption, a key resignation, or the collapse of a funding pipeline can all derail a plan in an instant. In a world that continues to be shaped by the unexpected, planning can create the illusion of control. But how often do our plans actually go off without a hitch?

Behind those plans lies a vision. That vision is a possibility for the future, but it remains only an idea or a hope without actions driving it through. In 2025, a year already defined by rapid change and systemic uncertainty, we need more than strategy. We need to stand in the result.

A quick guide to the impossible

When the road ahead is unclear or frequently disrupted, the goal isn't to plot a perfect course, it’s to become the kind of leader who can navigate any terrain.

We should ask ourselves who we are, and how we behave, imagining ourselves as the person capable of achieving our goal. Then we can start being that leader today in the behaviours we practice and the conversations we have, versus waiting to get there at some point in the future.

When JFK declared the intention to put a man on the moon, he didn’t wait to become the right leader. He stepped into that identity immediately. He expanded his thinking, engaged with new disciplines, and built alliances that once seemed implausible. Before anyone had touched Apollo 11, he had already become the person who could get them there.

That’s the essence of self-leadership in turbulent times: a mindset shift. We need to stop seeing a plan as the key to fulfilling our goals and start seeing who we’re being as the key to fulfilling our goals.

If you plan to go somewhere by a certain road and that road turns out to be impassable, you’ll never get to your destination. But if you’re committed to arriving by any route and by any means, roadblocks become opportunities to learn, grow and pivot without compromising on your vision.

Making tomorrow happen in a turbulent today

Standing in the result is the heart of agile leadership in a chaotic world. Sensing where you want to be, and choosing to act today as if you’re already equipped to be there.

It’s about becoming future-fit in the present. If you’re a startup navigating post-disruption markets, that means behaving like a billion-dollar brand even if your revenue says otherwise. If you’re a market leader, it means behaving like the next category-defining innovator, not the incumbent trying to protect status.

In 2025, delayed commitments are losing credibility. “We’ll be net-zero by 2040” can sound like a vague promise in an age that demands visible action. Instead, imagine acting like a net-zero company today. Let behaviour reflect commitment, not just planning documents.

People have a perception that time is required for change, but if a senior leader makes a bold declaration (e.g. we’re going to be net-zero and profitable by 2027), people in the organisation will scan creatively for opportunities to make that future happen fast. They will unearth solutions that the senior leader didn’t know were possible before they started standing in the result.

Empower moves

This way of leading (what we call standing in the result) isn’t reserved for senior leaders. It’s a culture. And in 2025, when traditional hierarchies are being reimagined, you tap into hidden leadership at every level by giving people permission to lead from a future possibility.

If you empower your management team to embody the future they want today – whether that’s to be an entrepreneur, to lead a diverse team, to have global influence, to be a consultant, or to raise profitability everywhere they go by 25% – you will see a huge change in the way they contribute to your organisation.

What might happen? They may take bigger risks. Speak more truthfully. Collaborate more deeply. They may manage their energy and wellbeing more effectively, and model that for others. They might show a kind of innovation, resilience, and emotional intelligence you didn’t know they had.

Plans can be derailed by a disruptive world, but commitments can’t. If your people are standing in the result today, everything they’re doing in the present will help lead your organisation to an impossible destination, one way or another.

Looking to achieve tomorrow’s results today? Get in touch to explore how we can help you ignite your ambitions.