Clarity Isn’t Certainty: Coaching Leaders for Presence in the Moments that Matter
Christie Rice (USA)
I found myself on the side of the road—alone with a stranger, in the dark.
Eight lanes of traffic moved steadily beside us. The air carried that familiar mix of noise and uncertainty that makes your body tighten before your mind can catch up. A flat tire had brought everything to a halt, but it wasn’t just the car that felt suspended—it was the moment itself.
What surprised me wasn’t the situation.
It was my response to it.
There was fear, yes. But there was also something else—something steadier. A quiet clarity. Not certainty about what would happen next, but a grounded presence in what was happening now.
At one point, the driver turned to me and asked if we could pray.
And we did. Out loud. Together.
It was an unexpected moment of connection in a situation that could have easily gone another way.
That night changed how I think about leadership—and how we coach leaders to show up in the moments that matter most.
Leadership is Not What We Do—It’s How We Arrive
In leadership and coaching, we often focus on strategy, decision-making, and communication techniques. But in the moments that matter most—when uncertainty is high, stakes are real, and emotions are present—those tools are not what lead.
What leads is our state.
What I experienced that night was not something I accessed in the moment. It was something I had been practicing—often quietly, often in ways that did not feel significant at the time.
A simple sequence:
Attune. Regulate. Connect.
A practice I have come to think of as ARC.
The Practice Beneath the Moment
Attuning meant noticing what was happening internally—my breath, my tension, the initial surge of fear.
Regulating meant not trying to eliminate that fear, but working with it—slowing my breath, softening my body, allowing space between stimulus and response.
Connecting meant making a choice about how I wanted to show up—not just for myself, but for another human being in that moment.
This is what we often miss in leadership development and coaching.
We train leaders on what to say.
We rarely train them on how to arrive.
Why This Matters for Coaching Practice
In increasingly complex and often virtual environments, leaders are navigating reduced social cues, heightened cognitive load, and greater potential for misinterpretation. These conditions are not simply logistical—they are neurological and relational.
As a result, leadership is no longer just behavioural—it is neurobiological.
For coaches, this represents a meaningful shift.
The work is no longer only about helping clients think differently. It is about helping them practice being different—in their physiology, their presence, and their relational impact.
Source: iCN Issue 54 (Coaching Practice & Innovation); page 49
About Christie Rice
Christie Rice, PsyD(c), is a neuroscience-informed leadership strategist and founder of RiceCo Group. With over 20 years of experience in organisational development across public, nonprofit, and behavioural health systems, her work bridges research and practice to help leaders show up with clarity, presence, and relational intention. Christie’s approach integrates neuroscience, dialogue, and adult development, with a focus on how leaders regulate, connect, and make meaning in complex environments. She is currently completing her doctorate in Organisational and Leadership Psychology at William James College.
