Uncertainty is no longer a temporary condition that organizations can endure until circumstances stabilize. Technological disruption, geopolitical tension, and changing customer expectations are unfolding simultaneously. Across nearly four decades of building and leading businesses, I have repeatedly seen uncertainty become a reason to delay difficult decisions.
I believe that response presents a greater danger than uncertainty itself. The pressure is measurable. PwC’s 2026 Global CEO Survey found that only 30 percent of chief executives were confident about revenue growth over the following 12 months, down from 38 percent in 2025.
Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum said in its report The Future of Jobs Report 2025 that employers expect 39 percent of workers’ core skills to change by 2030. Those findings should not lead businesses to pursue change indiscriminately. They should encourage leaders to develop a more disciplined way of acting before every variable becomes clear.
Waiting for certainty can appear prudent, but it often allows customer needs to move, competitors to adapt, and internal capabilities to become outdated. I first learned this in business. Over 16 years, I helped build an automotive-aftermarket operation from a garage into a manufacturing business.
When a fire destroyed one of our facilities near Los Angeles International Airport, we could not wait for every answer before responding. We had to rebuild operations while protecting employees and providing direction through the disruption. I faced another test when a business partner died unexpectedly.
The loss required responsibilities to be reorganized and operations stabilized while the work continued. Years later, after diabetes complications led me to consider a heart, kidney, and pancreas transplant, I again had to assess the available information and make a consequential decision without a guaranteed outcome. The same principle has guided me in business.
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