Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world in many ways feels even more tumultuous and unpredictable. And unlike five years ago, when the source of the disruption was a single, unknown pathogen, today’s volatility comes from myriad forces: global outages, AI, cyberthreats, new tariffs, trade wars, and, of course, economic concerns. For business leaders, the impulse may be to hit pause on planned initiatives and spending and wait to see how things play out. But here’s the thing: There’s no end in sight to this volatility.

Yet there is opportunity in disruption — even in times as tumultuous as what we’re experiencing. Companies that thrive through volatility and come out ahead will master three critical domains: spending and resource optimization, change leadership, and risk management. Our just-released report provides details on how to do this. (Forrester clients can also access our reports tailored to technology, security, B2B, and consumer leaders; non-clients should look out for blog posts with key takeaways from those reports in the coming weeks.) The reports draw from our collective expertise, thousands of conversations with clients, and decades of extensive research into what works and what doesn’t.

While we suggest reading the full report to build an adaptable action plan, the high-level takeaways include the following.

Ruthlessly Optimize Spend And Focus Resources

This is not the same as ruthless cost cutting, since reactive, brute-force budget cuts typically hurt more than they help. Instead, it’s about finding opportunities to streamline — by clearing out duplicative software, for instance, and renegotiating contracts when doing so would enable greater efficiency and savings. It’s also about reprioritizing (not pausing) modernization plans to help you be more nimble, secure, and prepared to make best use of AI and other game-changing technologies.

Take the same laser focus to understanding and serving your customers. Reevaluate your customer segments to determine who to prioritize, then double down on customer insights (leaning on zero-party data) to deliver stellar customer service.

Master Change Leadership

Adapting to perpetual change and volatility is exhausting. To be effective, leaders must act as stabilizing forces, providing confidence and clarity despite navigating terrain that most have never experienced. Recognize that leading in this climate takes balance — between keeping a steady hand on the future while meeting change at a moment’s notice and between people and processes. Employees may also be struggling with the effects of change, so develop bidirectional listening strategies and communicate transparently to maintain cohesion and engagement. Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and upskilling to foster adaptability and agility.

Embrace Risk Management

While you can’t control volatility from happening, you can manage it by taking a continuous, holistic approach to risk. Risks fall into three categories: 1) enterprise risks, or those connected to your strategy, business model, and other factors fully within your control; 2) ecosystem risks, or those arising from third-party relationships; and 3) external risks, which today encompass everything from tariffs and technology bans to pandemics and wars. During times of volatility, all business leaders must fully understand their specific risks, create scenario plans for addressing them, and have the best courses of action ready to ignite for whatever comes their way.

Mastering these three areas will equip you to not only thrive through volatility but also, potentially, to tap innovation and profit. If you’re a Forrester client, read our report for detailed, actionable strategies for each of these three areas so that you can navigate volatility with confidence. Not yet a client? Let us know how we can help.