In Episode #114 of The Executive Commute, Jayson Krause is joined by Cathie Saroka, Level 52 Coach and Facilitator and CEO of Goldray Glass, for a conversation about leading through uncertainty without carrying the weight alone.

Cathie has spent decades leading through recessions, business volatility, personal challenges, the pandemic, and constant change. Her experience has taught her that strong leadership in uncertain times is not about projecting certainty or having every answer. It is about building a team that can think, challenge, adapt, and solve problems together.

Jayson and Cathie explore why uncertainty creates fear and unproductive stories, how leaders can create clarity without pretending to know what comes next, and why values, trust, collaboration, and scenario planning become critical when information is incomplete.

They also examine the danger of theatrical certainty, the difference between composure and competence, why leaders need to make decisions with minimal viable information, and how to create an environment where people feel safe enough to surface the ideas and concerns that leaders need to hear.

Episode timestamps:

00:52 The myth of leading through uncertainty alone
03:12 Building a company in constant uncertainty
06:29 Choosing what deserves your focus
08:52 Cathie's experience as a "wartime CEO"
09:43 Leading Goldray Glass through the pandemic
12:20 What worked and what Cathie would change
14:28 Defining leadership through uncertainty
17:20 Creating conditions for adaptability
18:14 When following the plan becomes the problem
24:15 The danger of theatrical certainty
25:45 Cathie's biggest leadership mistake
29:02 Trusting your gut under pressure
30:21 What leaders misunderstand about control
33:08 Warning signs a leader is struggling
35:07 Scenario planning through best, worst, and likely outcomes
39:19 Building the team before uncertainty arrives
45:04 Composure, transparency, and vulnerability
47:56 Making decisions with minimal viable information
50:56 Using values to make decisions in chaos
54:13 Why the team matters more than having all the answers
59:56 Cathie's final lesson for leaders

Follow Jayson Krause
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Voc2qOmcqGKfqy6CDiZOw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayson-krause/