Anchoring to Strong Ground
A blog by Ali Lalieu
July 2026
"Strong leaders don't find certainty. They find strong ground." Inspired by Brené Brown & Adam Grant
There is something deeply reassuring about listening to Brené Brown and Adam Grant in conversation.
They don't promise easier leadership or fewer difficult decisions. Instead, they remind us that the leaders who thrive in uncertainty aren't those with all the answers, they're the ones who know what they stand for.
One idea has particularly stayed with me:
Values are not what you believe. Values are what your behaviour consistently demonstrates under pressure.
When the pressure rises, values become visible.
It's easy to talk about integrity, courage or respect when things are going well.
The real test comes when you're exhausted, challenged, criticised, or faced with competing priorities.
Do you still choose honesty when it costs you?
Do you still lead with respect when emotions are running high?
Do you remain curious when your instinct is to defend yourself?
As Brené Brown reminds us, our values aren't truly tested when life is comfortable. They're tested when living into them is expensive. They’re tested when something needs to be sacrificed.
Every leader needs strong ground.
Today's leaders operate in an environment of constant uncertainty. Geopolitics continues to disrupt. Markets shift overnight. Technology evolves faster than organisations can adapt. Teams are geographically dispersed. Expectations continue to rise.
Leaders are constantly being asked to fly the plane whilst building it!
In this environment, many leaders search for certainty.
It’s time for a different approach where instead of asking: "How do I predict what's coming next?", try asking "Who do I want to be regardless of what comes next?"
This is what Brené describes as Strong Ground, an internal compass that anchors leaders and helps them to make difficult decisions without losing themselves.
Values become the foundation beneath every conversation, every decision and every relationship.
As I listen to Brené Brown and Adam Grant, I find myself sitting with these questions:
Which of my values is being tested right now?
What behaviour would others see if I were fully living that value?
Where is there a gap between what I say matters and how I actually show up?
Which value becomes hardest to live when I'm under pressure?
If my team watched me for the next month, what would they conclude my real values are?
What behaviour am I tolerating that quietly contradicts my core values (which happen to be Family and Health)?
These are not comfortable questions. But they are courageous ones.
And courageous leaders don't become trusted because they're perfect.
They become trusted because, when uncertainty arrives, people know exactly what they stand for.
Perhaps that's the invitation for all of us.
Not to search for more certainty.
But to build stronger ground.
Cheers Ali x