Mindset Monday | October 19, 2026 | Influence & Communication Month

Your team wants an answer.

Will the project continue? Is the deadline changing? What does the new direction mean for their work?

You have some information, but the decision is not final. So you face a familiar leadership dilemma: speak with confidence you cannot justify, or admit that you do not know yet.

There is a third responsibility: give people an honest account of what is uncertain and a clear path through it.

“I don’t know yet” can be a credible answer. It cannot be the entire answer.

Why Uncertainty Is Hard to Hear

Leaders are often told to be transparent. The advice sounds straightforward until the news is incomplete and people need to make plans.

Research helps explain why this moment feels difficult. In five experimental studies published in The Leadership Quarterly, leaders who expressed uncertainty were generally perceived as less effective, warm, and competent. Expressions of uncertainty also reduced measures of influence, including willingness to take the leader’s advice.

Another series of experiments on leadership communication found a tension: participants said leaders should be open about uncertainty, yet they tended to rate leaders who sounded certain as more competent. In those studies, uncertainty about the situation was generally received better than wording that made the leader seem personally unsure.

These studies do not mean leaders should manufacture certainty. They do show that honesty alone may not give people the confidence or direction they need.

Replace Vague Reassurance With Useful Clarity

Imagine a team waiting to learn whether a major initiative will be funded.

“We’re confident everything will work out” offers comfort that the leader cannot substantiate.

“I have no idea what will happen” may be honest about the leader’s feelings, but leaves the team without a way to proceed.

A more useful message would be:

“The funding decision has not been made. What we know is that our current work continues through November. Finance is reviewing two options, and I expect a decision by the 6th. Until then, please continue the agreed priorities. I’ll update you on Friday, even if the decision is still pending.”

That message cannot remove uncertainty. It can stop uncertainty from spreading into every task and every conversation.

It gives people four things: what is known, what remains open, what to do now, and when they will hear more.

The IronMind Competencies Behind the Message

Strategic Insight helps a leader distinguish an unresolved decision from the work that can still move forward. It asks: What must we learn? What choices are available? Which actions are sensible under more than one possible outcome?

Purposeful Messaging turns that thinking into language people can use. It separates facts from assumptions and gives the team a clear near-term direction.

Integrity & Respect keeps the leader from disguising a hope as a promise. It also means returning with an update when promised, including when there is little new to report.

Together, these competencies support a simple discipline:

• Name the known. What has been decided or verified?
• Define the unknown. What question remains, and who is working on it?
• Direct the next step. What should people do while the answer is pending?
• Set the next update. When and how will you return to them?

The wording matters. The follow-through matters more. If Friday comes and goes without an update, even a thoughtful original message begins to lose credibility.

Your 30–60–90 Leadership in Action Plan

Days 1–30: Notice How You Communicate the Unknown

Review three recent messages you sent when a decision was incomplete. Highlight every fact, assumption, prediction, and promise. Were they easy to tell apart?

For your next uncertain decision, prepare four short lines before you communicate: known, unknown, next step, next update. Ask a trusted colleague to point out any phrase that sounds more certain than the evidence allows.

Days 31–60: Practice Clarity Under Pressure

Use the four-part structure in meetings and written updates. Invite questions so you can learn what people still need to plan their work.

When you cannot answer a question, say who will find out and when you will return with an answer. Keep the update appointment even if the decision remains open. A brief, truthful update is useful because it tells people the issue has not been forgotten.

Days 61–90: Check Whether People Have Direction

Ask your team: “When a decision is pending, do you know what to do in the meantime? Are my updates arriving when you need them?”

Look for concrete signs of improvement: fewer conflicting assumptions, fewer repeated requests for the same information, and work continuing on the right priorities while the decision is unresolved. Adjust the timing and detail of your updates based on what you hear.

Final Reflection

Credibility does not require knowing the future. It requires care with the truth and responsibility for what people do next.

You can say, “I don’t know yet.” Then tell your team what you do know, what you are doing to find out, what they should do now, and when you will return.

Strengthening Minds. Empowering Leaders.