The Uncertainty Advantage: How Smart Leaders Turn Volatility into Growth

Episode 229

Released March 19, 2026

Guest: Rebecca Homkes (Economist, Growth Strategist, Lecturer at London Business School & Duke University)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, I am joined by economist and growth strategist Rebecca Homkes for a conversation about leading through uncertainty. With macro volatility showing no signs of letting up, Rebecca shares a practical, no-nonsense framework for how executives can stop reacting to the noise — and start growing through it.

Key Themes & Takeaways

Build internal predictability You can't control the macro environment, but you can build an organisation that knows how to adapt. Instead of chasing certainty from outside, focus on creating consistency, clarity, and agility within.

Develop strategic beliefs — not just trend lists Ditch the endless list of environmental trends. Instead, identify 8–15 core strategic beliefs that underpin your decisions. Use these as a tracker — monitoring what affirms or challenges them — so you filter signal from noise rather than drowning in both.

Reframe uncertainty Language matters. When leaders talk about "managing" or "handling" uncertainty, they pre-load it as a threat. Uncertainty is simply a set of future events — some will be opportunities. Organisations that lean into uncertainty as the best environment to learn are the ones that grow through it.

Growth is a loop, not a line Stop expecting a linear path to success. The Survive → Reset → Thrive model acknowledges that leaders will cycle back through phases — and that's not failure, it's the loop working as it should. The reset is the power move.

Focus is a parallel path Fewer priorities, properly resourced, outperform 25 half-funded initiatives every time. But focus alone isn't enough — pair it with a built-in capability for adaptability. That's how you stay nimble without losing momentum.

Shift from answers to questions The executive's role is evolving. The leaders getting ahead right now aren't the ones with all the answers — they're the ones asking the right questions and empowering their teams to find them.

Learning vs teaching organisations As organisations mature, they often confuse sending people to seminars with actually learning. Real learning is active, in the field, and tight — and organisations that learn faster, grow faster.

Book Mentioned

Survive, Reset, Thrive: Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times by Rebecca Homkes

An end-to-end playbook for growing through any environment — not just downturns. Especially relevant for leaders navigating tariffs, geopolitical shifts, or any macroeconomic uncertainty.

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Find Rebecca 🌐 RebeccaHomkes.com 🌐 SurviveResetThrive.com 💼 LinkedIn: Rebecca Homkes