This post is part one of a two-part blog series on leading through uncertainty and pressure with clear, confident communication. Part two, focused on practical tools for high-stakes messaging, will be published next week.
In my home growing up, we openly discussed politics at the dinner table. While some families may teach that certain topics are off limits or taboo, from a young age I was encouraged to ask questions about the world around me. My parents’ primary focus was not to tell me what to think, but rather to teach me how to think.
And that way of engaging with ideas critically has always anchored me. It’s the foundation that drew me to Western University, where I studied political science and philosophy, and is ultimately what led me into public life. Early in my career, I worked on Parliament Hill in a political office.
It was fast-paced, high-stakes, and demanding. The kind of place where decisions had immediate impact. But more than that, it was where I began to understand the mechanics of communication in leadership in a practical, daily way. What it boiled down to is this: What you say, and how you say it, matters. It became clear that every message was a leadership moment.
Eventually, I moved into government relations. For over 15 years, I worked with clients across sectors, helping them navigate policy, regulation, and public affairs. The nature of the work varied, but the principle remained constant: Listen well, understand your audience, and shape your message to meet the moment. To be successful in this world, you had to think critically, speak clearly, and above all, communicate with intention.
That ability to think quickly, communicate clearly, and stay anchored in values became even more essential when I began to focus on crisis communications. I found myself increasingly drawn to moments when the stakes were highest, as when organizations face reputational risk, public scrutiny, or uncertainty about how to move forward.
At its core, crisis work is about helping people find clarity in chaos. Whether you’re responding to a breaking news story, stakeholder backlash, or a hostile takeover bid — and I’ve experienced all three — the role of a trusted communicator is to ask: What’s true? What matters most right now? And how do we communicate that in a way that builds trust?
I still remember a particularly intense moment: I was working with a major organization that was facing a hostile takeover. The team was under pressure from every angle (think: shareholders, regulators, media) and they needed to respond with confidence and control. What they didn’t need was spin.
Internally, there was uncertainty about what would happen next. Externally, there was a need to project confidence and control. They needed clarity, and clarity doesn’t mean having all the answers. It simply means knowing what you stand for and being able to communicate that with conviction.
So that’s where we started. We helped leadership get aligned on core messaging: What did they want people to understand? What tone did they need to strike? Who needed to hear from them first, and how would they be heard?
Over the following days, we guided the team through media inquiries, internal town halls, and stakeholder briefings. We worked on scripts, key messages, and prep, but more importantly, we worked on presence.
Because in crisis, the messenger matters as much as the message. And if leadership doesn’t come across as calm, credible, and values-driven, no amount of talking points will land. That experience stayed with me. Because while not every leader will face a crisis of that magnitude, every leader will face moments of pressure, ambiguity, and change.
Another moment that stands out came when I was based in New York and working with an airline during a period of heightened public scrutiny. A tragic crash involving the aircraft of another airline carrier had shaken public confidence in flying. Though it wasn’t our flight, we were flying the same model and there was public confusion.
How do you handle a crisis when it's not yours, but everybody thinks it's yours?
You handle it like it's yours.
Because as often happens in crisis, perception became reality. So, we began preparing to relaunch our version of the aircraft, a high-profile return that was already attracting significant attention.
But as the relaunch neared, the landscape shifted again. The relaunch ended up coinciding with the aftermath of 9/11. Suddenly, what was meant to be a brand milestone became a moment of greater importance. The eyes of the public, the press, and city leadership were on us. New York was looking for signs of normalcy, momentum, and most importantly, for leadership.
I found myself preparing for a press conference that would ultimately be broadcast to over 500 million people. Of course, it was about far more than a flight. In that moment, the principles that have always guided my work came into sharp focus. Namely, the mindset of showing up with clarity, calm, and conviction.
Whether you’re facing a crisis or simply leading through change, the fundamentals remain the same: Know your message, understand your audience, and communicate with intention.
Ultimately, that’s why I was drawn to The Humphrey Group. We teach that every conversation is a leadership moment, and that great leaders speak not to impress, but to connect.
We coach leaders to clarify their thinking, communicate their vision, and build trust through presence and authenticity. And those are the exact same tools that have guided me, whether in the halls of Queen’s Park, a boardroom under pressure, or on a global media stage.
But in today’s world, pressure and ambiguity aren’t the exception, they’re becoming the norm. Leaders are being asked to navigate complexity with confidence, even when the path isn’t clear.
In my next piece (coming out next week!), I’ll share some of the practical tools and principles I use to help leaders communicate with clarity in high-stakes moments. Because no matter the situation, the goal is the same: To lead with presence, purpose, and trust.
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