Leadership in this modern, volatile, non-routine business environment is quietly demanding a role change.

For a long time, we celebrated the fixer.

The one who could walk into a room, diagnose in five minutes, prescribe in three, and execute before lunch. That archetype still gets applause.

But we are no longer operating in tidy, mechanical systems where problems present themselves clearly and respond predictably to technical answers. We are operating in layered, ambiguous, AI-accelerated environments where the visible issue is often just the surface ripple of something structural, cultural, or relational underneath.

In that world, leadership shifts from fixer to sensemaker and this necessary shift is not cosmetic but foundational.

Sensemaking is the discipline of building and updating a living map of a complex environment so that action becomes intelligent rather than reactive. It is the practice of making the strange familiar, and sometimes making the familiar strange enough that we see it clearly again.

It requires a move away from pure doing and toward interpretation. Away from task completion and toward meaning creation. Away from “Who can execute this fastest?” and toward “What are we actually standing in right now?”

Most leaders are trained to solve. Very few are trained to interpret.

Yet interpretation is the first move.

Real sensemaking is not a solo sport. It is social, conversational and collective. It gathers perspectives that do not naturally agree. It invites the frontline voice that sees friction before the executive dashboard does. It creates a shared narrative strong enough to hold disagreement without collapsing into confusion.

Instead of asking, “How do we fix this?” the sensemaking leader asks, “What is actually happening here?”

That question sounds simple. It is not.

It interrupts the reflex to act and slows the impulse to demonstrate competence through speed. It challenges the ego’s desire to be the one with the answer.

The answer trap is seductive.

Many leaders were rewarded early in their careers for being decisive problem solvers. The faster you could provide clarity, the more competent you appeared. But in complex environments, the first visible problem is often just a symptom. Fixing it can create the illusion of progress while leaving the structural misalignment intact.

And we are living in deeply complex conditions. Non-routine work now defines most roles. There is no manual for cultural drift, no template for navigating AI integration with human identity and no precedent for markets that shift in months instead of years.

In unfamiliar terrain, you do not sprint…you map.

AI adds another layer.

It accelerates execution, generates options and produces data at a velocity no human team can match. But it cannot determine what matters. It cannot decide which pattern is noise and which pattern is signal. It cannot feel the cultural undercurrent in a team that is quietly disengaging.

That discernment still belongs to leaders.

Without sensemaking, speed becomes waste.

Initiatives stack on top of initiatives. Teams feel busy but not aligned. Resources are deployed against symptoms. The underlying story remains unexamined.

Premature action in complex systems does not just waste energy, it can harden the very problem you are trying to solve.

So how does a leader become more adept at sensemaking?

It begins with a pause that feels almost rebellious in high-pressure environments: a deliberate moment of wonder.

1. What is non-routine here?
2. What feels off?
3. What are we normalizing that deserves inspection?

It continues with expanding the circle of input. Not just the usual high performers or trusted lieutenants, but the people closest to the friction. The people who see the small disturbances before they gather into larger systems. In AI contexts, it also means interrogating the models themselves.

• How is this tool representing reality?
• What assumptions are embedded in its outputs?

Reflective inquiry becomes a habit. What are we treating as true? What is the root cause versus the visible symptom? What are we really solving for? Revenue? Control? Reputation? Fear?

Dynamic framing matters. The same challenge can be viewed as threat, opportunity, warning signal, or learning invitation. The lens determines the action. Narrow framing creates narrow solutions. Multiple lenses create wiser moves.

And then there is storytelling.

Sensemaking leaders do not hoard scattered data points. They weave them and translate confusion into narrative. They help the team see the pattern emerging from the noise. A clear story does not eliminate uncertainty, but it reduces panic. It gives people orientation. It says, “This is what we believe is happening; this is why; this is what we are watching.”

From that place, action becomes grounded rather than frantic.

Sensemaking is not passive. It is disciplined, rigorous and it is the first move of leadership in environments where rigidity becomes obsolete quickly.

When leaders build a shared and continually updated understanding of reality, teams become more adaptable…more resilient…less dependent on heroic intervention…less addicted to quick fixes.

Solutions still matter. Execution still matters. But without sensemaking, solutions are guesses dressed up as strategy.

The real work of leadership then is not landing on a solution…but building the clarity from which a solution can responsibly emerge.

Strategic Reflection Prompt:

Where in your leadership are you rushing to fix what you have not yet fully understood, and what might shift if you paused to map the terrain before moving?

About Giselle

I’m Giselle Hudson — Organization & People Development Sensemaker™, MCODE® Legacy Coach, writer and musician. I help leaders and independent professionals close the gap between strategy and execution by making invisible friction visible, so direction can finally translate into results.

If execution isn’t matching intent and you can’t quite see why, message me on WhatsApp. We’ll start with a brief Clarity Conversation to understand what you’re facing and decide together whether a focused Sensemaking Session is the right next step.