HBA Central New Jersey Event: Finding Clarity in Uncertain Times
Article by: Gina Cuniere
Uncertainty is an inevitable part of leadership. Whether navigating organizational change, emerging technologies, shifting priorities, or career transitions, leaders are often asked to move forward without having all the answers.
On 12 August 2026 the HBA Central New Jersey chapter hosted an interactive virtual program, “Leading with Vision: Creating Clarity in Uncertain Times,” featuring the experienced coaches and HBA leaders, Sharon List and Juliet Hart. Using the day’s backdrop of the solar eclipse as a metaphor, the session explored how leaders can move through periods of uncertainty with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
Through real-world examples, interactive polls, and guided reflection, Sharon and Juliet challenged participants to rethink a common instinct during uncertain times: waiting until the path becomes completely clear before taking action.
Instead, effective leadership is about creating enough clarity to take the next thoughtful step.
A Framework for Moving Forward
Sharon and Juliet shared a practical five-step framework that participants could apply to leadership challenges, career decisions, and even personal situations:
- Define your vision and North Star. Get clear on where you are trying to go, even when every step to get there isn't yet known.
- Clarify the problem. Separate what is known from what is uncertain and identify the challenge that truly needs to be addressed.
- Focus on what you can control. Shift energy away from external constraints and toward the decisions, actions, and resources within your influence.
- Create a pathway forward. Take manageable steps, learn as you go, and remain willing to adjust the path as new information emerges.
- Align and bring others with you. Communicate openly, invite different perspectives, and create the shared understanding and trust needed to move forward together.
Key Insights Learned
- Provide direction, not perfection. Leaders do not need to have every answer before moving forward.
- Avoid the certainty trap. Waiting for complete certainty can lead to inaction, while providing false certainty can undermine trust.
- Focus on what you can control. Identifying where you have influence helps turn uncertainty into action.
- Transparency builds trust. Being open about what is known, what remains uncertain, and what happens next helps teams navigate change together.
- Adopt an experimental mindset. Small steps create opportunities to learn, adjust, and continue moving forward.
- Use your voice. Open conversations and diverse perspectives help uncover challenges and create stronger solutions.
- Bring people along. As leadership shifts from command and control toward coaching and empowerment, alignment becomes just as important as direction.
Real-world examples brought the framework to life, from navigating rapidly changing processes during the COVID-19 pandemic to introducing AI within an organization today. In both cases, the lesson was similar: leaders may not be able to control the uncertainty around them, but they can create clarity around where they are going, what they can influence and how they will move forward together.
Participants were provided and encouraged to use an accompanying workbook to apply the framework to an area of uncertainty in their own leadership, career, or personal lives. The session concluded with a simple challenge: commit to one action you can take this week to move forward.
Because clarity doesn't always come before action. Sometimes, taking the next thoughtful step is what helps create it.
Thank you to Sharon and Juliet for sharing their experience, insights, and practical guidance, and to everyone who joined the conversation and contributed their own perspectives.
Special thanks to everyone whose time, expertise and teamwork made this event possible.
• Featured Speakers: Juliet (Chin) Hart and Sharon List
• HBA Central New Jersey Event Committee: Poorna Ashok, Dawn Bradley, Gina Cuniere, Phyllis Feeney, and Aleksandra Palak