Archana Mohan
Introduction: 208 seconds
On January 15, 2009, just 90 seconds after take-off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of geese, causing both engines to fail. With no power, low altitude, and no safe runway in reach, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger had 208 seconds, three and a half minutes, to assess the crisis, reject standard options, and make a daring choice. He landed the aircraft on the Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board.
In hindsight, it may look like heroism. In the moment, it was something else: the ability to make decisions inside uncertainty. To steer into discomfort. That is leadership.
We live in an age of relentless change. Geopolitical shocks, digital acceleration, climate urgency, AI disruption, and rising employee expectations have made uncertainty the norm. Yet too often, leaders respond with control: more planning, tighter metrics, familiar tools. But the illusion of certainty is no match for the complexity we now face. Leaders who thrive are not the ones who resist discomfort. They are the ones who steer into it.
Discomfort is not a bug in the system. It is the system.
Discomfort isn’t a sign that something’s gone wrong. It’s a signal that growth, adaptation, and creativity are necessary. Uncertainty is metabolically expensive. We will resist it. Neuroscience supports this: our brains crave predictability. Change hurts. But learning occurs in these moments of disequilibrium. By resisting discomfort, leaders stagnate. By accepting it, they unlock innovation.
The global pandemic reminded us of this truth. Overnight, long-established norms collapsed. Leaders who tried to replicate pre-COVID conditions faltered. Those who adapted, listened, and experimented uncovered new strengths in themselves and their teams.
Futurist Amy Webb describes this as “steering into the slide”; the intentional act of engaging with complexity rather than resisting it. Webb likens leadership in uncertainty to driving on ice: while instinct may tell us to swerve away, physics requires that we steer into it. Likewise, leaders shouldn’t wait for certainty. They should develop the discipline to scan for signals, explore possibilities, and build teams willing to steer into the slide.
Why avoiding discomfort fails
Avoidance creates an illusion of stability. Leaders who shield themselves and their teams from discomfort often miss early warning signs of disruption, discourage honest dialogue, exacerbate cultures of compliance and limit their organisation’s ability to pivot. Worse still, avoidance drains trust. Teams sense when leaders are unwilling to face hard truths. Courage, not certainty, cultivates trust.
A blueprint for transformational leadership
In the face of discomfort, transformative leaders do three things consistently:
Reach in
Great leadership starts with self-awareness. Reaching in means acknowledging what you don’t know. It means quieting the need for certainty. It means asking better questions. This inner work builds the emotional agility needed to navigate ambiguity.
Leaders who reach in:
– Understand their values, triggers and blind spots
– Embrace vulnerability as strength, not weakness
– Recognise that personal growth fuels professional effectiveness
Reset
In uncertain times, assumptions become liabilities. Resetting isn’t about starting over. It’s about releasing what no longer serves and making space for what’s possible. Our brains rely on internal models to navigate uncertainty, but those models become limiting if we fail to adapt. In times of complexity, we must let chaos in. We must interrogate where models no longer align with reality.
The most innovative strategies rarely come from certainty. They come from the courage to question what’s familiar, to release outdated assumptions, and reset from a place of clarity and care.
Leaders who reset:
– Interrogate outdated beliefs and inherited practices
– Create space for reflection and reimagination
– Replace rigid planning with flexible experimentation
“Resetting isn’t about starting over. It’s about releasing what no longer serves and making space for what’s possible.”
Reach out
Sharing discomfort makes it easier to face. By reaching out, leaders model how steering into uncertainty builds collaboration. It’s a shared opportunity to learn, grow, and co-create. When teams feel seen and heard, they are far more likely to take risks and contribute meaningfully.
Leaders who reach out:
– Build cultures of psychological safety
– Invite dissent and diverse perspectives
– Lead through service, not status
Making it practical
Small, daily shifts can rewire how leaders respond to uncertainty and help teams feel safe while stretching into discomfort:
– Name it: Acknowledge when you’re in a zone of discomfort. Labelling the feeling reduces its power.
– Model it: Share moments of uncertainty with your team. Show that not knowing is normal.
– Normalise learning: Celebrate intelligent failure. Make experimentation a visible, supported behaviour.
– Create moments of stretch: Encourage team members (and yourself) to take small, regular risks.
– Protect reflection time: Create buffers in the schedule for pause and strategic thinking.
“Those who develop the capacity to steer into discomfort will stand out. They will be the ones who turn fear into focus, transform change into clarity and convert ambiguity into action.”
From discomfort to breakthrough
At the height of the pandemic, I was asked to lead a complex transformation across the business. Resources were strained. Morale was low. The metrics mattered, but I realised people needed more than data. So, I scrapped the planned approach and did something uncomfortable: I shared my fears and hopes. I asked the team what mattered to them. We created time to explore purpose, objectives and deliverables. We learned how each of us could contribute. We created a foundation that wasn’t just about performance, but shared goals and pride. The result? An increase in commitment and performance across the board. Not because we chased certainty. But because we embraced discomfort and learned from it.
Steering into uncertainty—a leadership superpower
The future will continue to be volatile, uncertain and fast-moving. But that does not mean leaders must simply react. Instead, reaching in, resetting and reaching out offers an alternative. Those who develop the capacity to steer into discomfort will stand out. They will be the ones who turn fear into focus, transform change into clarity and convert ambiguity into action.
Leadership isn’t about comfort. It’s about courage. So, the next time you feel discomfort rising, don’t pull back. Steer in. That’s where the real work begins.
Biography
Archana Mohan is the author of The Through Line and a senior executive in the financial services sector. She helps leaders navigate complexity with clarity, purpose and care.
