Last month, I had the opportunity to speak at the RE/MAX Broker/Owner & Manager Retreat in Newfoundland.

Over several days, I connected with broker owners, managers, and leaders from across Canada. We discussed leadership, uncertainty, change, and what it takes to create momentum when conditions aren't ideal.

One thing became clear.

The most successful leaders aren't waiting for certainty.

They're moving anyway.

That's important because uncertainty is everywhere right now.

Markets shift.

Interest rates change.

Consumer confidence fluctuates.

Technology evolves.

Competition increases.

The instinct for many leaders is to wait.

Wait for more information.

Wait for better conditions.

Wait until things feel more predictable.

The problem is that momentum rarely appears while you're standing still.

In aviation, waiting isn't always the safest option.

Sometimes changing conditions require a decision.

A course correction.

An action.

A commitment.

Leadership works the same way.

The leaders creating momentum today aren't necessarily the ones with the best conditions.

They're the ones responding best to the conditions they have.

That's where the three shifts become critical.

Read this previous post on uncertainty is where leadership starts.

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Mindset Shift — How You Think

You can't always control the market.

You can't always control the environment.

You can control your response.

The best leaders move from reacting to taking control of what is within their influence.

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Action Shift — How You Act

Momentum isn't created through doing more.

It's created through removing drag.

The highest-performing leaders continue to have conversations, build relationships, develop people, and execute on priorities even when uncertainty exists.

They focus less on predictions and more on progress. Removing unnecessary drag and focusing on intentional action. The kind that moves the needle.

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Commitment Shift — How You Show Up

This is often where momentum is won or lost.

Anyone can stay committed when results come easily.

Real leadership is showing up when confidence is low, outcomes aren't guaranteed, and the path forward isn't perfectly clear.

That's when standards matter most.

That's when consistency becomes a competitive advantage.

One of the things I admired most about the leaders I met at RE/MAX was their willingness to continue moving forward despite uncertainty.

Not because the challenges weren't real.

But because they understood something important:

Change doesn't kill momentum.

Waiting does.

The future belongs to leaders who are willing to act before conditions are perfect.

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Today's Shift

Where in your leadership are you waiting for certainty before taking action?

What conversation needs to happen?

What decision needs to be made?

What commitment needs to be honoured?

The next step may not eliminate uncertainty.

But it might create the momentum you're waiting for.

If this resonated, join The Shift — my weekly newsletter on leadership, energy, and systems — where we build sustainable momentum, one shift at a time.

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Chris Wilson