Leading in Febrile Times
VUCA is old news. The world today is febrile — feverish, fast, and on edge.
I came across a word in a news article yesterday that stopped me mid-sentence.
Febrile.
Feverish. Uncertain. Highly charged.
It perfectly captured the temperature of leadership right now, not just volatile or unpredictable, but restless and overheated.
Over the past few years, every conversation I’ve had with senior executives has carried that same undercurrent — constant motion, endless noise, decisions coming faster than reflection.
These are febrile times, and they test leaders in new ways.
In such conditions, leading so that Clarity, Care, and Commercial Performance can coexist isn’t just good practice, it’s the only way to stay grounded.
CLARITY keeps the organisation aligned when everything around it accelerates.
Simplify, articulate, repeat until people can see the path even when the dust rises.
CARE protects the human system that makes performance possible.
Under pressure, culture frays first. Reinforce trust, safety, and empathy, they’re not “soft”; they’re stabilisers.
COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE is still the expectation, but it now depends on resilience, adaptability, and wise trade-offs more than ever.
When these three coexist, something powerful happens: leaders create calm without losing momentum.
Five ways to lead in febrile times:
Sense-make fast — interpret what’s changing and share what it means.
Simplify priorities — focus on what truly moves the needle.
Communicate with honesty — say what you know and what you don’t.
Empower decision-making — trust capability at the edges.
Strengthen culture — resilience is your real competitive advantage.
Leadership in febrile times isn’t about control.
It’s about composure — the ability to create clarity, extend care, and still deliver commercially when everything runs hot.
Where in your organisation does the temperature feel highest right now — and what helps you bring it back to calm?
Former Fortune 10 C-Suite Executive and 2022 HR Leader of the Year.
I coach executives, advise boards, and help leaders navigate complexity so clarity, care, and commercial performance can coexist.