Is Uncertainty Breeding Silence? It Doesn’t Have To

We’re halfway through 2025 and ready to make predictions for the top 10 words of the year. For 2025, “uncertainty,” “disruption” and “change” will very likely make the top three, at least if we consider moods and conversations focused on business and the economy. Based on earnings call transcripts last quarter, there was a 20% increase in U.S. CEOs using the word “uncertainty,” presumably as a result of the Trump administration’s tariff policy. At last month’s Responsible Business USA event in NYC, several chief sustainability officers used the term onstage in discussions of resiliency and sustainable business planning.

We’ve used the terms “unprecedented change’ for generations, but the sentiment rings particularly true today as we’re dealing with environmental, social and governance (ESG) overhauls, geopolitical upheavals, technological disruptions and so much more. Given the level of uncertainty caused by these developments, many companies have gone quiet. But is this a missed opportunity?

Senior leadership cannot afford to be bystanders while they themselves are grappling with changes around them. A recent Morning Consult survey of U.S. adults found that the personal brands of CEOs and founders are just as important as the company’s brand itself, potentially creating a halo effect or casting a dark cloud. The survey shows that roughly eight in 10 U.S. adults said a company’s CEO impacts their perception of that company. Survey findings also found that 30% say they have purchased more from a brand or company because its CEO did something they liked, while 32% have boycotted a company because of its CEO.

So, how do we navigate the appetite for CEO visibility at a time when every leader, brand and industry grapples with some level of political and economic uncertainty? We have been counseling our clients to focus on their business imperatives, target audiences and the “connective tissue” that binds them to those they’re seeking to reach. Now is the opportune time to reframe the value of ESG and sustainability.

1. Stay focused on what matters to your company in the long term.

As leaders and companies execute on their business strategy, it’s important to focus on those market disruptions and opportunities that will have the greatest long-term impact on their organizations. In a recent paper, analysts at Bernstein referenced “ESD”—emerging, strategic and disruptive factors—and the need for investors to take a more expansive view of how companies are positioned for “a future that is being reshaped in real time.” These include environmental and social issues, but also broader systemic challenges like supply chain disruption or AI. Leading companies stay focused and communicate on the topics and issues that are business imperatives, rather than be derailed by noisy headlines and information fog.

2. Understand who you want to reach, their priorities and their content consumption habits.

Who are your primary and secondary target audiences and what do you know about them? No audience is monolithic and they’re relying on a cadre of information and news sources on a variety of topics. For example, NY-based investors are not only reading the business section of the Wall Street Journal. It’s likely that they’re watching Squawk Box in the morning, perusing LinkedIn or YouTube on their commutes to the office, reviewing Substack newsletters in their inboxes and taking in targeted ads while looking for tickets to the U.S Open. For brands to resonate with their audiences, they need to start with a baseline understanding of each audience’s personas, habits and content patterns and adapt their communications channels accordingly. This baseline understanding should include a careful review of those causes and loyalties that matter to audiences that a brand might not be publicly aligned with.

3. What do you have to say and why does it matter?

Silence breeds insecurity. If leaders don’t speak, others will step in to fill the gaps. The most successful CEOs have built their platforms based on a deep understanding of what narratives they want to shape, and how they can connect those narratives to their audiences. They don’t wait for someone to hand them a mic. Instead, they build their own platforms and share their stories—consistently, directly and strategically.

At this point, it’s impossible to predict the future, let alone the other top words of 2025. What we can say with certainty is that there will be further clarity down the line and that this is an opportunity for CEOs and leaders to step forward and stand for what they believe in and what will help propel their business forward.