Three Shifts Every NGO Leader Needs to Make in Times of Uncertainty

“How do I lead when I don’t know what will happen next?”

It’s a question I hear again and again as a common challenge in coaching conversations with NGO and nonprofit leaders.

Between the funding cuts, organizational restructuring, political instability, pressure to do more with less and rapid changes in technology, there seems to be more uncertainty than ever.

But uncertainty itself isn’t new; it has always been part of humanitarian and development work.

The deeper challenge is that many of the leadership approaches that worked in more stable environments become less effective when the future is unclear.

Today’s NGO and nonprofit leaders are being asked to lead differently.

After coaching hundreds of NGO leaders around the world, I have noticed three leadership shifts that consistently help managers lead more effectively—and thrive—during times of uncertainty.

Our Management Skills for Nonprofits and NGOs course is designed for NGO and nonprofit leaders.

Shift #1: From Certainty to Clarity

During times of uncertainty, it is natural to look for the opposite: certainty — about what will happen next, about funding, about which decisions will be made and when.

But certainty is rarely available.And contrary to what many leaders believe, that is not what your team expects from you.

Your team does not need you to predict the future. What they need is clarity.

Specifically:

• What matters most right now, and what can wait
• How decisions will be made when information is incomplete
• Where each person should be focusing their energy

One of the most powerful ways to create this clarity is through values.

During uncertain times, values become anchors. They provide the “how” for every “what.”

In other words, regardless of what happens around us, we can choose how we respond and how we lead.

• For example, if you are leading from the value of inclusivity, you will actively involve others in decision-making rather than making every decision yourself.
• If your values include accountability, you will communicate openly about difficult decisions and follow through on commitments.
• If your values include collaboration, you will seek diverse perspectives rather than retreating into siloed decision-making.

I recently sat down with Kim Kucinskas, Humentum’s Technical Director, to discuss how pressure reveals our values, how they can guide difficult decisions, and what it takes to stay grounded in what matters most during times of uncertainty.

Watch the full conversation below.

When leaders cannot provide certainty, they can still provide clarity. And often, that is exactly what your teams need most.

Shift 2: From Control to Empowerment

When leaders feel uncertain, it is natural to feel out of control.The instinct is often try to regain control wherever we can—including with our teams.

You become more involved in decisions, provide solutions more quickly, and check in more frequently.

While this response is understandable, it often has unintended consequences:

• Teams become more dependent on the leader for every decision
• Decision-making slows down
• The leader becomes overwhelmed and risks burning out
• And people feel less autonomy and ownership over their work, which leads to lower levels of both involvement and follow-through.

The reality is that uncertainty makes empowerment more important, not less.

In today’s complex environment, no single leader can do it all. Organizations need people at every level thinking, solving problems, and contributing to decisions.

Effective leaders understand that their impact comes not from having all the answers, but from helping others develop their own.

One of the most practical ways to do this is by asking better questions rather than providing immediate solutions.

Instead of asking, “What should I tell them to do?”

Ask:

• “What do you think would work?”
• “What options have you considered?”
• “What else?”

By shifting from solving every problem to developing the problem-solving capacity of others, leaders create stronger teams while also reducing the pressure on themselves.

I have seen how transformative this shift can be. Many describe feeling a tremendous weight lifted from their shoulders. They are no longer carrying every problem alone.

And perhaps most surprisingly, they often rediscover genuine joy in leadership—not because they are controlling outcomes, but because they are helping others grow.

Shift 3: From Resistance to Resilience

Many leaders spend a tremendous amount of energy fighting reality; worrying about decisions that haven’t been made, replaying difficult conversations, wishing circumstances were different, and trying to control things that are ultimately outside their influence. This is deeply human, but it quietly drains the resources needed to actually lead well.

But one of the most important lessons I have learned through years of coaching leaders is this:

You can’t build Resilience by eliminating uncertainty.

You build it by changing your relationship with it.

Successful leaders don’t necessarily have the most resources, experience, or the clearest roadmap.

What sets them apart is that they learn to focus their energy where it can make a difference.

Instead of asking:

“How do I make this uncertainty go away?”

They ask:

“How do I lead effectively within it?”

In practice, this means:

• Accepting what they cannot control.
• Focusing deliberately on what they can influence.
• Acknowledging difficult emotions without allowing those emotions to dictate their actions.
• Continuing to move forward, one decision at a time.

Ironically, the moment we stop fighting uncertainty is often the moment we become more resilient.

None of these shifts happen overnight.

They require practice, reflection, and often unlearning leadership habits that may have served us well in the past.

The good news is that uncertainty does not have to undermine your leadership.

In fact, it can become the catalyst that helps you become a more intentional, and resilient leader.

That is exactly why I developed “Leading NGO Teams Through Uncertainty” in partnership with Humentum.

In this practical course, you’ll learn how to:

• Create clarity when answers are limited
• Empower and support your team without micromanaging
• Make decisions with confidence amidst uncertainty
• Build resilience in yourself and others without burning out

If you are leading through funding uncertainty, organizational change, growing complexity, or increasing demands, this course will provide you with tools you can apply immediately.

Because the leaders who thrive in uncertain times are not the ones who eliminate uncertainty.

They are the ones who learn how to lead through it.

Learn more and join us

Torrey Peace is a certified leadership coach with 18 years’ experience in international development. She facilitates rising and established leaders in the humanitarian and development world to become the leaders they admire, or “people centered leaders.”

She has taught and coached over 900 leaders across six continents from the UN, INGO and civil society to strengthen decision-making, lead through uncertainty, manage change, and create more resilient teams.

For more information about Torrey’s work and podcast, please visit www.aidforaidworkers.com.