Leading Through Uncertainty: What Owners MUST Do Now

By Prof. Enrique Soriano

One business owner I advise recently shared a frustration that many leaders can relate to. His managers had impressive CVs, solid credentials, and years of experience. Yet when it came to execution, alignment, and ownership, performance consistently fell short.

Instead of replacing them immediately, he chose a different path. He began retooling his leadership team through clearer alignment, sharper goal-setting, structured implementation, empowerment, and firm accountability. It is still a work in progress, but something has changed. The managers are no longer just order-takers—they are beginning to think, decide, and lead.

The lesson is simple: alignment creates ownership, and buy-in creates performance.

In 2026, uncertainty will no longer be a temporary phase. It will be the operating environment. Margins will tighten. Capital will become more expensive. Talent will be harder to retain and even harder to find. Customers will grow more cautious with every peso they spend. For many owners and CEOs, the pressure will feel relentless.

But pressure alone does not break businesses. Lack of clarity does.

What leaders need now is not guesswork or short-term fixes, but a practical playbook—one that strengthens cash control, sharpens structure, and improves decision quality while the business is still in motion.

Here are the first three disciplined actions every owner must take. The next set will follow next week.

1. Shift from revenue focus to cash visibility.

Sales numbers are no longer the main metric. Revenue can look healthy while cash quietly drains. In volatile markets, survival is measured in liquidity, not top-line growth.

Weekly cash forecasts must guide decisions. The business should focus on inflows, outflows, timing, and exposure. The leadership team must discuss cash first—before marketing, expansion, or hiring.

Action: Initiate a 12-week cash flow review every Monday with your team. Depending on your industry and current conditions, this can be shortened to four to eight weeks.

The shift is cultural. Leaders must stop asking, “How much did we sell?” and start asking, “How long can we sustain operations?”

2. Align structure with strategy.

Organizations often carry structures that reflect the past, not the future. Roles, departments, and facilities grow around personalities and historical success. But in a tighter environment, structure must serve strategy—not old habits.

Every role, department, and facility must be reviewed to ensure it supports where the business is going, not where it has been. In a complex market, relying on the mindset “we have always done it this way” is no longer safe.

Action: Assess leadership performance and assign more responsibilities to capable managers while preparing non-sensitive roles for those who are no longer aligned with the company’s direction. This is not about removing people. It is about repositioning the organization so leadership strength matches business priorities.

3. Reduce complexity before reducing people.

Cost-cutting often begins with headcount. But inefficiency is usually rooted in systems, not staff. Our mantra is simple: structure defines behavior.

Layers of approvals, unclear authority, duplicated processes, and slow decisions destroy momentum and margins. In today’s environment, indecision is a luxury no business can afford. Indecision has no place in an organization that lives and dies by margins.

Action: Remove unnecessary approval layers to speed up decision-making.

When systems become clearer, people become more productive. Complexity costs more than payroll.

As owners, you must build clarity. Meetings must be more focused. Decisions must be more deliberate.

These leadership lessons are not theoretical. They are part of an ongoing conversation I will be continuing in the W+B CEO Series webinar on January 24 at 10:00 a.m., where I will discuss how owners can strengthen cash discipline, simplify structures, and improve decision-making in uncertain conditions.
For inquiries, Christine may be reached at +63 917 324 7216.

In the next part, I will share how we are addressing debt, communication, decision-making, and internal performance reviews—without creating fear, confusion, or fatigue.

Because leadership in 2026 is not about reacting faster. It is about thinking clearer.

About the Author

The author is a family governance advisor based in Asia, working with multi-generational families on succession, sibling dynamics, and governance structures designed to protect both relationships and long-term legacy. He has been selected to serve as a Mentor for the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) Board Readiness Programme (BRP), supporting professionals and family members aspiring to sit on Boards, particularly in contexts where family dynamics, ownership, and authority intersect.