Last month, we opened this series by looking at what uncertainty is — not just a data gap or a business condition, but something that lives at the intersection of ambiguity, unpredictability, and the very human need for control. We looked at the language and behaviors that signal a client is caught in it.

You responded with examples that were strikingly consistent across industries and client sizes. Here is a sample of what you shared:

“My client keeps asking for another round of analysis before any decision gets made. We’ve done five versions of the same projection.”

“I heard a CEO say, ‘Let’s just not do anything bold this year.’ That was their entire strategy conversation.” 

“Ghosting has taken on new meaning.”

What strikes me about these responses — and perhaps what strikes you too — is how much they sound like reasonable caution on the surface. That is what makes uncertainty so tricky to interrupt. It disguises itself as prudence.

So how do we interrupt it? We start with clarity about what our role actually requires.

The Role of the Consultant in Uncertain Times

When a client faces uncertainty, they often want two things from us: reassurance and answers. They want to know it will be okay, and they want us to tell them what to do.

Neither of those is our actual job.

Our job is to help them think more clearly than they can on their own — to interrupt the reactive patterns, restore perspective, and create conditions in which better decisions become possible. We are not the answer. We are the process that leads to better answers.

That requires us to bring something our clients cannot easily access when they are inside the storm: a calm, structured, outside view. Not detachment. Presence. The kind of presence that says, “I see how disorienting this is, and I also see a path forward.”

The consultant’s value during uncertainty is not prediction. It is the discipline to distinguish what is known from what is feared — and to help clients act wisely in the space between.

This is also where our credibility is built or lost. Clients remember how we showed up when things were hard. The consultant who holds the room steady, asks the right questions, and guides the team toward action — even imperfect action — becomes a trusted partner for the long term.

Two Thinking Models That Restore Clarity

With that role clearly in mind, here are the first two thinking models I use with clients navigating uncertainty.

Model 1: Separate Uncertainty from the Response

What can be controlled vs. what cannot

• When clients feel uncertain, they often conflate the situation with their reaction to it — which means they try to control the wrong things.
• Your role: Draw a clear line between what is genuinely outside the client’s control (market conditions, regulatory shifts, competitor behavior) and what is squarely within it (how they communicate, how they allocate resources, which relationships they prioritize, how they structure their team).
• In practice: Introduce a simple two-column exercise. On one side: “What we cannot control.” On the other: “What we can control and choose to do anyway.” This alone can shift a leadership team from reactive to intentional in a single session.

The consulting insight: Clients who feel out of control are not irrational — the world often is out of control. But there is always a response available. Our job is to find it with them.

Model 2: Move from Prediction to Preparation

Eliminating speculation paralysis

• One of the most common traps in uncertain environments is waiting — waiting for more information, for the market to settle, for someone to make the first move. This is speculation paralysis: the belief that better information will eventually make the decision obvious.
• Your role: Help clients stop asking “What is going to happen?” and start asking “What do we need to be ready for?” These are very different questions with very different implications for action.
• In practice: Instead of building a forecast, build a readiness plan. What are the two or three most likely scenarios? What would we need to have in place to respond effectively to each? What can we do today that would serve us in any of them?

The consulting insight: Preparation does not require certainty. It requires discipline. Clients who shift from prediction to preparation move from anxiety to action — and that shift creates momentum.

Your Voice in the Next Installment

These two models are about restoring a client’s sense of agency. I’d love to hear how you create that shift in your own engagements. Which of these approaches resonates most with your practice? Have you used something similar — and if so, what worked, what didn’t, or what would you add? Your responses will be integrated into Part 3, our final installment in this article series.

Send your response to: [email protected]

Next month — Part 3: “From Clarity to Action” — The final two thinking models: creating safe exploration zones and normalizing adaptive planning. Plus, a closing reflection on what it means to be a steady presence for clients when the ground is shifting.

About the Author

Jeannette Hobson CMC is an executive coach and Vistage Chair with nearly 30 years of experience helping CEOs and leadership teams perform at their highest levels. She is a member of IMC USA and a contributor to its strategic planning and community initiatives. She can be reached at [email protected]