Leadership is easy when the path is clear.
It’s much harder when the future is uncertain, emotions are running high, and people are looking to you for answers you may not have.
In a recent conversation on The Route to Success, Bree Carriglio, Executive Director of the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), shared lessons from leading through one of the most challenging humanitarian crises in recent history. When more than 100,000 refugees were displaced and crossed into Armenia, organizations like FAR had to respond immediately while simultaneously planning for long-term recovery.
While most leaders will never face a humanitarian crisis on that scale, the leadership lessons are surprisingly universal.
Whether you lead a nonprofit, a business, a team, or even your own family, uncertainty is part of the journey.
The question is not whether challenges will come.
The question is how you respond when they do.
Purpose Creates Clarity
Before joining FAR, Bree spent 15 years in corporate marketing. By many measures, she was successful.
Yet something was missing.
She wanted work connected to a larger purpose.
Many professionals reach this point. They have achieved what they thought they wanted but discover that achievement and fulfillment are not always the same thing.
One of the most powerful leadership exercises you can do is ask:
- Why am I doing this?
- What impact am I trying to create?
- What matters most to me?
When your purpose is clear, decision-making becomes easier because you have a filter through which to evaluate opportunities.
Try this tool:
Set aside 20 minutes this week and write answers to these three questions:
- What work gives me energy?
- What work drains me?
- What impact do I want my efforts to have on others?
Look for patterns.
Purpose often hides inside those patterns.
Being Scared Is Not the Same as Being Afraid
One of the most insightful moments from the conversation came when Bree described stepping into a major leadership role.
She admitted it was scary.
But she also made an important distinction.
She was scared, but she was not afraid.
Many people assume confidence means feeling no uncertainty.
The opposite is often true.
Great leaders feel uncertainty all the time.
The difference is they keep moving forward anyway.
Fear says, “Don’t do it.”
Being scared says, “This matters.”
Every meaningful opportunity comes with discomfort.
Starting a business.
Launching a nonprofit.
Taking a promotion.
Having a difficult conversation.
Making a major life change.
The goal is not to eliminate discomfort.
The goal is to move forward despite it.
Try this:
The next time you face a difficult decision, ask yourself:
“Am I afraid because this is wrong, or am I scared because it matters?”
The answer often provides surprising clarity.
Listen Before You Lead
When Bree stepped into her executive role, she did something many leaders skip.
She listened.
Instead of immediately implementing changes, she spent time understanding the organization, its culture, its people, and its history.
Too often, leaders feel pressure to prove themselves immediately.
They rush into solutions before fully understanding the problem.
Listening is not passive.
Listening is strategic.
It allows you to gather information, build trust, and identify opportunities that would otherwise remain hidden.
Try this:
Try the 80/20 Leadership Rule.
During meetings:
- Listen 80% of the time.
- Speak 20% of the time.
Ask:
- What is working?
- What is not working?
- What should I know that I don’t know?
Then listen carefully to the answers.
Hire for Character, Train for Skill
Bree shared that some of her most difficult professional experiences came from working in environments where respect was lacking.
Those experiences shaped how she leads today.
One of her strongest beliefs is that leaders should hire people they trust, respect, and admire.
Skills can be taught.
Character is much harder to develop.
Organizations often focus heavily on technical qualifications while overlooking values and integrity.
The result can be talented employees who create unhealthy cultures.
Practical Tool:
Add one values-based question to every interview:
“Tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague. How did you handle it?”
The answer often reveals far more than a résumé.
Solve Problems Holistically
One reason FAR has been successful is its commitment to addressing root causes rather than symptoms.
When helping vulnerable communities, they do not look at education alone.
They consider healthcare.
Economic development.
Nutrition.
Safety.
Infrastructure.
Community support.
They understand that people do not experience life in separate categories.
Challenges are interconnected.
The same principle applies in organizations.
A performance issue may actually be a training issue.
A communication issue may actually be a trust issue.
A morale issue may actually be a workload issue.
Try the following:
When a problem arises, ask:
“What else might be contributing to this?”
List at least three possible root causes before choosing a solution.
You may discover the real problem is different from the obvious one.
Grace Is a Leadership Strategy
One of the most powerful themes from the conversation was grace.
FAR’s work is emotionally demanding.
Their teams witness hardship, loss, and trauma regularly.
Yet they have intentionally built a culture where people can acknowledge when they are struggling.
They support one another.
They step in when someone needs help.
They allow people to be human.
Many organizations focus heavily on performance while ignoring humanity.
The strongest organizations understand you need both.
People perform best when they feel supported.
Try this tool:
Start team meetings with one simple question:
“How is everyone doing today?”
Not as a formality.
As a genuine invitation.
The answers often tell you more than any project update.
People Need to Be Heard
One of the simplest leadership practices discussed during the conversation was also one of the most important.
Make time to listen.
Not every conversation needs a solution.
Not every challenge needs immediate fixing.
Sometimes people simply need space to think out loud.
To process.
To feel acknowledged.
Leaders often feel pressure to solve every problem.
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can offer is your attention.
Try this:
The next time a team member brings you a concern, resist the urge to immediately solve it.
Instead ask:
- Tell me more.
- What do you think is causing that?
- What would a successful outcome look like?
Those questions create space for deeper conversation and often help people find their own answers.
Progress Happens One Step at a Time
Perhaps the biggest lesson from Bree’s leadership journey is that progress rarely comes from dramatic moments.
It comes from consistent action.
Listening.
Learning.
Adjusting.
Supporting people.
Moving forward one step at a time.
Whether you’re leading a global humanitarian organization, a nonprofit, a small business, or a team of two, the fundamentals remain the same.
Lead with purpose.
Listen before you act.
Hire people you trust.
Create cultures of grace.
Treat people with dignity.
Focus on the next right step.
You do not have to solve everything today.
You only have to keep moving forward.
And often, that is how resilience is built.
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