Why Cutting Leadership Support In Chaotic Times Is A Strategic Mistake

Forbes

06-05-2025

Tom Roberts, Founder of Cranberry Leadership. Coaching global leaders to adapt, lead, and thrive globally.
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'If the world's on fire, don't hand your leaders a smaller hose.'
Predictability is the business sweet spot. In a perfect world, strategy follows logic, market conditions hold steady and leadership decisions are made with clean data and clear visibility. But that world no longer exists—and may never return.
Today's senior leaders are navigating a swirling fog of global ambiguity. Not the normal kind, but a real shaking of global economic patterns and alliances.
The political and economic rules they used to rely on are shifting. Predictable patterns—quarterly forecasts, regional trends, even internal team dynamics—have gone sideways. The sense of rhythm, the ability to plan three steps ahead, has eroded.
And when predictability disappears, so does something else: peak performance.
Because decision-making at the top isn't just about data or instinct—it's about mental sharpness. Emotional clarity. The ability to think fast under pressure and still sleep at night. That kind of leadership thrives on stability. It needs a runway. It needs rhythm. But when predictability breaks, something else creeps in. Quietly. Subtly.
Ambiguity. And its two enablers: indecision and wait-and-see.
These are not benign forces. They are corrosive. They slow teams, stall momentum and leave high-potential leaders paralyzed just when their clarity is needed most. And the corporate reflex in times like this? Cut costs. Delay programs. 'Let's ride out the storm first.'
That instinct might be understandable, but it's deeply misguided. Because when you pause investment in your leaders during uncertainty, you're not just saving money. You're creating risk.
I've Lived In The Most Extreme Fog
I know what it's like to lead through ambiguity—not from a whiteboard, but from inside the storm.
Personal: In 2009, I took my first expat assignment in Japan. Not long after, my wife underwent emergency surgery and spent five hard months in the hospital. I had an eight-year-old daughter at home, asking questions I didn't always know how to answer. For two of those months, the hospital wouldn't even let her visit.
I was navigating a new country, a new leadership role and a family reality held together by duct tape and denial.
National Catastrophe: Then came the earthquake. On March 11, 2011, the ground shook, the sea surged and the nuclear reactors in Fukushima failed. My son was not yet a year old. He was a premature baby who needed formula—formula that required clean water. The doctor told us, 'Don't use the tap.'
So, I rode my bike in 10-mile loops across Tokyo, searching for bottled water that no longer existed.
Political: And just as the aftershocks began to fade, we moved to Korea, on the very day Kim Jong-un took power.
Weeks later, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island. Tensions were high. One U.S. general pulled me aside in what was supposed to be a casual chat and asked, 'Do you know what to do if the shelling reaches Seoul?'
That wasn't an abstraction. It was a standing thought I carried into every meeting, every coaching session, every dinner with my team.
I had to lead through that.
And here's what I can tell you with absolute certainty: In that fog, I didn't need more dashboards or HQ pep talks. I needed someone to talk to. A second set of ears. A coach. A guide. Someone who could hold space for the impossible questions without judgment or consequence.
But I didn't have that.
So, I stewed. I second-guessed. I carried weight I didn't have to—alone.
Support doesn't remove the fog. But it gives you enough visibility to move. And when you're operating outside your cultural comfort zone, with geopolitical chaos around you and personal life on the brink? That clarity is everything.
The Cost Of Withholding The Compass
When the world gets messy, the instinct is to conserve—to delay investment, pause programs and hope for calmer skies. But leadership doesn't stop during turbulence. It gets harder. And here's the paradox: Just when your leaders need the most support, many companies pull it away. They cut coaching. Cancel development programs. Tell their most senior decision-makers to 'just hang tight.'
But ambiguity doesn't wait. Neither do markets. And indecision—especially at the top—gets expensive fast. You don't need to flood your leaders with more noise. You need to give them clarity. Space. Tools. A sounding board who isn't in the chain of command. Because if you want smart decisions in complex times, you can't starve the decision-makers.
In times of ambiguity, cutting leadership support is like flying into fog and turning off the radar.
Three Principles For Leading In The Fog
1. To The Boss: Don't scrimp on leadership development—especially coaching.
When things are most uncertain, your leaders need sounding boards, accountability partners and wise counsel. Coaching is not a perk—it's protective infrastructure.
2. To The Leader: Recognize the complexity. It's not just culture and quarterly goals—it's geopolitical volatility, economic turbulence and psychological strain.
Beware of isolation. Keep your mentors close. Keep your coaches closer.
3. To The Team Leader: Your team is watching your body language more than your briefings. Bring confidence, but also bring reality.
Create space for honest conversation about uncertainty. Ask how they're processing the world around them. Because no matter how experienced you are, they know the local ecosystem better than you do—and you can't lead it well without their insight.
Final Thoughts
Remember: Investing in leadership development and coaching during stable times is easy—it fits the budget and the narrative. But real leadership is tested when the future is unclear and the stakes are high. That's when support matters most.
Cutting resources in those moments may feel fiscally responsible, but it strips leaders of the very tools they need to navigate complexity, make sound decisions and keep teams aligned.
Don't expect clarity from the same leaders you just left in the dark.
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