Ed. Note: This post was originally published in 2017 and has been lightly updated for relevance.
The pace of disruption is at an all-time high. From economic pressures and restructuring to supply chain instability, AI, and automation, leaders are navigating markets that shift faster than strategy decks can keep up. Across industries, organizations are under constant pressure to adapt, transform, and stay ahead.
Within this rapidly changing business environment, leaders face greater challenges than ever before, navigating uncharted territories of fluid landscapes. A recent survey found that 84% of executives feel underprepared for current uncertainties (McKinsey & WEF, 2025), highlighting a widespread concern about confronting critical issues with no previous playbook.
In the past when confronted with such unstable times, leaders might have opted to stay the course and wait out the storm. But this tempest is not going to pass; uncertainty is the new norm. To maintain the trust of stakeholders and employees, leaders must not only confront the unknown but do so with insight, clarity, and the courage to act.
What Do Innovative Leaders Do Differently?
Some organizations are already harnessing disruption as an opportunity to pull ahead. These leaders aren’t necessarily doing anything entirely new; they’re simply doing the fundamentals better, a point echoed in this Entrepreneur article by Michel Koopman, which highlights agility as the defining strategy for leaders navigating AI-driven disruption.
Research shows innovative leaders outperform peers by excelling in critical behaviors: managing risk, demonstrating curiosity, leading with courage, seizing opportunities, and maintaining a strong strategic perspective (Graham-Leviss, 2016). Inventiveness is inherently risky, and sinking resources into new initiatives can be daunting. Yet nothing mitigates risk like preparation.
In uncertain times, preparation means identifying and sharpening the right leadership behaviors and cultivating a culture ready to seize opportunities. Leaders do this by:
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Prioritizing which projects to pursue.
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Performing thorough risk analysis.
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Identifying and placing the right leaders in key roles.
Organizations equipped in this way can quickly spot opportunities and act on them with confidence, turning the unknown into a sea of possibility.
Innovative Doesn't Always Mean New
Although the word innovation implies novelty, the leadership behaviors needed to fuel it are not new. There is no hidden formula or secret ingredient. Competitors rarely hold a mysterious key to unlocking growth.
Their advantage lies in perfecting best-practice behaviors and strategies—developing ingenuity, agility, and adaptability. By honing existing skills and refreshing management capabilities, leaders position their companies to capitalize on disruption and emerge stronger.
And while uncertainty cannot be eliminated, it can be practiced for. Business simulations provide a risk-free environment where leaders can experience the pressures of disruption, test decisions, and sharpen these behaviors before the stakes are real. Learn more about how our simulations fuel innovation.
The Lasting Lesson
Disruption has become the climate in which we operate. Leaders who refine the fundamentals, prepare intentionally, and cultivate adaptability are the ones who steer their organizations with confidence through the next wave of change.
References
Graham-Leviss, K. (2016, December 20). The 5 skills that innovative leaders have in common. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/12/the-5-skills-that-innovative-leaders-have-in-common
Koopman, M. (2025, July 18). The surprising strategy smart leaders use to outpace disruption. Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/the-surprising-strategy-smart-leaders-use-to-outpace/494436
McKinsey & Company and World Economic Forum. (2025). Resilience Pulse Check: Harnessing collaboration to navigate a volatile world. World Economic Forum. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Resilience_Pulse_Check_2025.pdf
