Leading in times of uncertainty and interdependence

“The deep recognition that we don’t have the answers yet. We’re going to have to create them. And by the way, it won’t be me, and it won’t be you. It’ll be us… And in order for that to happen, we’re going to have to do the hard thing of giving each other feedback on the evolving product.”

In this episode of the podcast Rethinking Leadership, Roemer Visser speaks with Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and author of The Fearless Organization and Right Kind of Wrong, about what is required of leaders in a world defined by uncertainty and interdependence.
They discuss how many of today’s senior leaders were shaped in environments where problems were predictable and expertise could reliably determine the “right” answer. That era, she notes, has passed. “The taken-for-granted mental models that many leaders grew up with just don’t work in a highly uncertain context.”

From having the answers to asking better questions

In this new reality, leaders must resist the impulse to have the solution. Instead, Edmondson says: “As a leader, I don’t bring the answers. I bring questions.” 
The leader’s role shifts toward sense-making, helping interpret confusing data and celebrating progress and discovery rather than accurate completion.
It is not about slowing down or lowering ambition. Rather, it is about recognizing that we cannot take as a given that we know the right way to achieve the results that we're trying to achieve.

Creating the conditions for collective intelligence

Effective leadership today, Visser and Edmondson argue, means tapping into the wisdom of the group and creating conditions where people learn together rather than relying on top-down direction. This requires psychological safety. To which Edmondson adds an important caveat: “Psychological safety isn’t the goal… It describes a climate where learning can take hold.” 
It is not about being nice or avoiding conflict. It is about ensuring that people can speak up with ideas, questions, concerns, even mistakes, without fear of rejection or humiliation.

Execution as learning

Many organizations still treat performance and learning as trade-offs. Edmondson challenges this: Execution must become a learning process. “Plan-do-check-act all the way along.” Rather than perfecting plans upfront, teams experiment, evaluate, adapt, and improve… together!

The leadership mindset for today

To lead effectively now means:
• Asking good questions instead of providing answers
• Encouraging intelligent risk-taking rather than rewarding only success
• Listening deeply, especially to voices with less status
• Treating execution as ongoing learning, not as compliance to a fixed plan

Curious how to build teams that learn—and perform—in uncertain environments?
Listen to the full conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

About Amy Edmondson

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and one of the world’s leading scholars on organizational learning and psychological safety. She is the author of several influential books, including The Fearless Organization (2018) and Right Kind of Wrong (2023), which won the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award. Her research has shaped how organizations think about learning, collaboration, failure, and leadership in complex environments. About Roemer Visser Host Roemer Visser is an expert on the human side of organizations and is Executive Professor and Academic Director of the Executive MBA at TIAS.

About the Rethinking Leadership podcast

Deep conversations, fresh insights—leadership, re-examined.
In the Rethinking Leadership podcast, we dive into the complexity of leadership. Whether you’re working to earn trust, to grant trust, or to inspire others with your stories, leadership is always a challenge. Guided by Executive Professor Roemer Visser, we explore new perspectives and deeper insights. Listen to inspiring conversations with thought leaders and discover surprising approaches to leadership challenges.

Our programs for tomorrow’s leaders

Ready for the next step and looking to create more impact in business and society? TIAS leadership programs are a powerful way to break through mental models and give you concrete tools to strengthen your leadership and management capabilities. In our broad portfolio of MBAs, Masters, Advanced Programs, and Master Classes, you’ll always find a program that aligns with your ambitions and career stage. We can also deliver all our programs InCompany.