LEADERS FACING UNCERTAINTY: 6 LEVERS TO MAINTAIN THE ADVANTAGE

In a global context of volatility, whether due to geopolitical tensions, industrial transitions, or technological disruptions-European leaders are more exposed than ever to uncertainty. In France, 84% of executives surveyed say that geopolitical risks are already impacting their business (ESSEC Barometer 2025).
To stay competitive, here are six essential levers to activate:

1. Continuous transformation, far beyond IT

In today's environment, "transformation" should not be seen as a mere technological upgrade, but as the ongoing overhaul of the organization, its processes, business models, and operating methods. In Europe, this pressure is particularly intense: according to the Boston Consulting Group's report "Why CEOs in Europe Need to Focus on Transformation", 17% of publicly listed European companies are under strong transformation pressure, and 6% may even need to consider radical restructuring.

In France, the situation is just as alarming. The 2025 French Executive Barometer shows that while 63% of leaders expect stable or slightly improved indicators (activity, profitability, investment, headcount), this occurs in a context dominated by uncertainty (41% of executives report feeling uncertain). This duality requires companies to be agile in their transformation.

Why go beyond IT?

Because business processes, organizational models, and cultural practices must evolve to take full advantage of technologies. For instance, automating or digitizing HR, logistics, or commercial processes isn't enough if the organization remains siloed.
Because the market demands frequent disruptions: new entrants, changing customer expectations, regulations, ESG issues (environment, social, governance).
Because business models themselves can become obsolete (e.g., subscriptions, hybrid platforms, SaaS).
How can leaders experiment with ongoing transformation?

Establish short cycles of iteration and feedback (pilots, POCs).
Encourage teams to challenge "business as usual" and test new scenarios.
Deploy cutting-edge tech and competitive intelligence initiatives (intrapreneurship, labs).
Integrate change indicators (adoption rates, transition speed) into dashboards.
Foster a culture where partial failure is accepted in order to learn quickly.
In summary, transformation must become a habit, not a one-off project. The most successful companies aren't those that launch massive "digital revolutions," but those that cultivate agility, experimentation, and continuous adaptation.

2. Attract and retain "exceptional" talent

In the ongoing talent war, rare profiles (executives, sector experts, international professionals) are more sought-after than ever. In Europe, companies face increasing pressure for skills in transformation, energy transition, cybersecurity, and adaptive leadership. Leaders face a dual challenge: not only attracting these profiles but retaining them in a context of shifting expectations (flexibility, purpose, mobility, work-life balance).

Challenges of Attractiveness

In France, only 8% of French talent wish to work abroad, revealing a stronger focus on local conditions (mobility, expat support, onboarding).
High-level profiles expect more than salary: they seek meaningful projects, vision, and impact. Employer branding becomes essential.
International exposure is a differentiating factor-offering mobility, global projects, and challenges reflects a company with global reach.
Retention Levers

Ambitious projects and empowerment: give meaning and autonomy, involve talent in company strategy.
Mobility and international openness: offer cross-functional paths, foreign assignments, immersion programs.
Continuous learning and development: anticipate future skills, create tailored upskilling plans.
Polished employee experience: work-life balance, recognition, management quality, feedback culture.
Total and incentive-based compensation: mix fixed pay, bonuses, stock options, equity participation, and soft benefits (mobility, well-being).
Engagement and value alignment: exceptional talent seeks alignment with their convictions (sustainability, social responsibility, ethics).

3. Align performance and resilience

Traditionally, performance is measured by growth, margins, or ROI. But in uncertain contexts, this model can become a liability: the relentless pursuit of growth without safeguards increases exposure to shocks, market reversals, and dysfunctions.

The winning equation now is resilient performance: achieving strong results while maintaining the capacity to withstand turbulence.

Moving beyond the "growth vs. security" dilemma

This requires redefining indicators, rethinking priorities, and creating adaptive governance. Key principles:

Integrate resilience metrics (liquidity, stress tests, redundancy, rebound capacity).
Implement alternative scenarios: "inverse scenarios," "organizational stress tests," financial resilience models.
Set realistic and incremental goals rather than chasing unrealistic growth at all costs.
Diversify revenue streams to avoid dependence on a single market or segment.
Maintain reserves financial, human, material to absorb shocks.
Promote a "rapid adjustment" culture: learn fast, pivot when needed, avoid being locked into a single path.
A leader who invests in resilience builds a strategic buffer zone. They can weather crises without sacrificing fundamentals or losing agility. In the coming years, the ability to shift between performance and protection will be a major differentiator between surviving and thriving companies.

4. Manage strategic information

In a world overloaded with data, the challenge is no longer just access, but selection, verification, security, processing, and operational use. For leaders, the ability to turn information into strategic intelligence is a decisive competitive advantage.

European and french constraints

In Europe, regulatory frameworks are strict: GDPR, vigilance standards, ESG reporting, transparency requirements. Leaders must structure data collection, storage, use, and disclosure rigorously.
Meanwhile, growing distrust of "fake news," the complexity of global information chains, and cyber risks increase the need for reliable information.
Components of strategic information

Qualified intelligence: monitor technological, competitive, regulatory, and market developments.
Diverse and reliable sources: combine public data, industry databases, field intelligence, sector surveys.
Curation and filtering: identify weak signals, eliminate noise, extract meaning.
Verification and legitimacy: cross-check, validate facts, apply ethical methods.
Operational exploitation: deliver actionable insights (dashboards, executive briefings, alerts).
Traceability and governance: ensure decisions are documented, sources identified, and audits are possible.
Why it matters

A misinformed leader or one misreading a signal can make erroneous strategic decisions.
Strategic information enables anticipatory decision-making: seizing opportunities, avoiding disruptions.
Information is an asset: it can be transformed, protected, monetized.
Reputation, crisis, or legal risk can all stem from leaks or misinformation.
A competent leader no longer simply "makes the right decisions", they must make the right decisions at the right time, based on reliable, contextualized, and strategic insights.

5. Cultivate alliances and partnerships

In an age of interdependence, no company can go it alone especially in Europe, where markets, skills, financing, and regulations vary significantly. For leaders, cultivating alliances is a dual strategy: pooling strengths and sharing risks.

European context

Europe promotes sectoral cooperation (clusters, competitiveness hubs, EU research projects).
The push for industrial sovereignty demands collaboration (particularly in space, energy, health).
Innovation ecosystems are built through transnational networks more than strictly national strategies.
Types of strategic alliances

Sector alliances/consortiums: collaborate with competitors or complementary players for shared-interest projects.
Tech or R&D partnerships: pool innovation costs, share discoveries.
International cooperation: partner with foreign players to enter new markets or share infrastructure.
Public-private partnerships: in energy transition, infrastructure, digital transformation.
Startup and open innovation ecosystems: bring startup agility into established structures.
Conditions for success

Define clear, shared goals: benefits, contributions, risks.
Transparent partnership governance: roles, responsibilities, decision-making, conflict management.
Exit mechanisms: plan for disengagement if results aren't met.
Culture of openness and trust: teams must believe in collaboration.
Monitoring, steering, adjustment: regular reviews and tangible realignments.
Alliances can turn gaps into consolidated strengths. A leader who forges strategic partnerships multiplies their action levers, reduces risks, and accelerates growth.

6. Develop an agile leadership stance

Uncertainty requires leaders to revisit how they lead. The vertical, rigid, top-down model is increasingly obsolete. Leadership must be fluid, flexible, inclusive, and geared toward collective learning.

Traits of an agile leader

Humility and curiosity: recognizing they don't have all the answers.
Openness to feedback: listening to employees, stakeholders, weak signals.
Ability to decide fast and adjust often: don't wait for perfection-act and refine.
Culture of testing and experimentation: encourage pilots, iteration, prototyping.
Tolerance for uncertainty/failure: accept that some tests will fail-what matters is learning.
Transparent and empathetic communication: share challenges, involve teams, mobilize through vision.
Organizational applications

Empower local decision making, distributed responsibility.
Implement retrospectives and post-mortems for continuous learning.
Train managers in agile leadership (agile methods, coaching, facilitation).
Create cross-functional spaces (task forces, innovation committees) uniting different disciplines.
Promote versatility and cross-skilling.
Why this shift is essential

In an unpredictable world, the best plan can be overturned overnight. The agile leader doesn't try to predict everything but prepares the organization to adapt without breaking. They turn the unpredictable into opportunity.

- NAOS International
- 130 Boulevard St-Germain, Paris, France
- Yannis Ben Brahim, ybenbrahim@naos-international.com

NAOS International is a recruitment and headhunting firm founded in 2008 which supports its clients across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America and Africa.
We also support our customers in transiton management.

Our mission is to help our clients develop in high-growth markets, where recruitment and human resources are complex and constantly evolving.
NAOS International is modernising the executive search model by streamlining the process and making it faster and more relevant to high growth markets.

We currently have offices in Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Lille, Singapore and Dubai.

Our team is made up of senior consultants, all of whom have a proven track record in operational project management, international business development or company management.
This DNA enables us to fully understand our clients' operating environments and their needs when looking for key personnel.

This release was published on openPR.