The Third Certainty: Leading Through an Age of Volatility
Ben Franklin famously claimed the only certainties in life are death and taxes. Respectfully, I’m adding a third: uncertainty.
Between AI disruption, geopolitical shifts, and a volatile economy, uncertainty is no longer an occasional storm to be weathered. It is the climate we live in. It is the backdrop of every board meeting and in every executive decision.
In this environment, a strategic communications plan isn't a "nice-to-have" insurance policy. It’s the difference between organizational confidence and avoidable chaos.
The Cost of the Information Vacuum
When the ground shifts, your stakeholders, employees, investors, and clients immediately look for a signal. If they don’t find it, they don't just wait. They speculate. Rumors spread faster than facts, internal anxiety grows, and external trust erodes.
Organizations can’t be silent when stakeholders are listening most closely. Clear, timely, and intentional communication helps define the narrative before speculation does. Importantly, this does not require having all the answers. It requires acknowledging what is known, what is not yet known, and how decisions will be made moving forward.
Trust Is Built in Uncertain Moments
Trust isn’t tested when conditions are stable. It’s tested when outcomes are unclear. Stakeholders, employees, customers, investors, and communities pay closest attention to how organizations communicate during difficult or turbulent periods.
A consistent, strategic message reinforces trust by:
Replacing Speculation with Fact: Starving the "rumor mill" by being the primary source of truth. Explain the decision-making process, even when outcomes are evolving.
Projecting Stability: Converting a chaotic environment into a controlled strategy. Reinforcing organizational purpose and values as anchors in change
Humanizing the Brand: Showing stakeholders that there is a thoughtful, consistent human intent behind every decision. Showing empathy for stakeholder concerns.
Organizations that communicate well in uncertainty are perceived as more competent, more human, and more trustworthy, even when facing significant challenges.
Internal Alignment: An Operational Imperative
One of the most common missteps I see during uncertain times is prioritizing external messaging while neglecting internal audiences. Employees are not only key stakeholders; they are amplifiers. When they feel informed and respected, they become credible messengers. When they feel left in the dark, misalignment occurs quickly.
A strategic internal communication plan keeps employees informed, reduces anxiety, and arms leaders at every level with the tools to carry out a unified message. The result? You protect morale and maintain productivity when the ground shifts.
From Uncertainty to Clarity
Uncertainty cannot be eliminated, and communication alone cannot dictate every outcome. However, strategic communication does something more vital: it provides clarity of intent.
The most effective strategy in volatile times is not about projecting a false sense of certainty. It is about guiding understanding, setting realistic expectations, and reinforcing trust through radical honesty and consistency.
In an era defined by the "Third Certainty," organizations that invest in their narrative are better equipped to navigate complexity and protect their reputations. They don't just survive the fog. They lead through it with confidence, even when the path forward isn’t fully clear.
Is your organization ready for the next wave of disruption?
