The Secret to Unlocking Growth in Uncertainty
Published by Sanita Pukite - on August 20, 2025
Stepping into your zone of expansion
In 1968, Dick Fosbury shocked the world at the Mexico City Olympics. Instead of jumping face-first over the bar like everyone else, he went backwards - head first, back arched, legs flipping over.
Commentators mocked him. Competitors doubted him. But Fosbury won gold and within a few years, every top jumper had adopted “the Fosbury Flop.”
He didn’t win by training harder. He won by expanding his capacity to try something radically different.
Leaders today face the same challenge. Under pressure, do we keep playing the old way or do we build the capacity to redefine how the game is played?
Pressure and performance: a starting point
Over a century ago, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson (1908) described how pressure affects performance. Too little pressure and we disengage. Too much and we burn out. The sweet spot lies in between, where focus sharpens and performance peaks.
Source: Healthline.com
The catch? That model assumes our capacity is fixed. Once pressure exceeds our ceiling, decline is inevitable.
But in leadership today, the ceiling isn’t fixed. It can be raised, if leaders expand their adaptive capacity. And that expansion is a choice. At every moment of pressure, leaders, teams, and organizations can choose one of two zones: contraction or expansion.
Leadership Capacity Curve
The Leadership Capacity Curve
I’ve adapted and expanded the model into what I call the Leadership Capacity Curve.
Contraction Zone → Fear, defensiveness, tunnel vision, silence, control.
Expansion Zone → Clarity, courage, openness, creativity, connection.
Leaders who stay in the Contraction Zone hit familiar limits: pressure overwhelms them, fear drives short-term reactivity, and growth stalls.
Leaders who expand their capacity move into the Expansion Zone: they stretch beyond old ceilings, access clarity, creativity, and resourcefulness, and lead with greater influence.
What expansion looks like in practice
A contracted leader might cling to a business model that no longer works, unable to imagine alternatives.
An expansive leader reframes setbacks as opportunities and chooses a different playing field.
Satya Nadella at Microsoft
When Nadella became CEO, Microsoft was seen as legacy, hardware-heavy, and lagging in innovation. By shifting culture to a “learn-it-all” mindset, making bold platform bets, and listening deeply to employees, Nadella expanded not only his own capacity but also that of his leadership team. Microsoft became one of the most valuable and innovative companies in the world.
Rose Marcario at Patagonia
As CEO, Marcario faced intense pressure: environmental criticism, shifting consumer expectations, regulatory changes, and supply chain complexity. By leading with clarity of values, courage in decision-making, and emotional agility, she expanded Patagonia’s capacity. During her tenure (2008–2018), revenue grew from $600M to over $1B, while Patagonia became a global symbol of sustainability and activism.
What expanding adaptive capacity really means
Expanding capacity isn’t abstract. It’s practical growth in five dimensions:
See clearly (Clarity): Cut through noise so people know where they’re heading and feel ownership.
Feel and adapt (Emotional Agility): Stay present with emotions and act in line with values.
Stay open (Learning Mindset): Lead with curiosity, humility, and openness.
Act boldly (Courage): Make decisions in ambiguity, sometimes on conviction and judgment.
Hold steady (Resilience): Withstand setbacks and persist through challenges.
Together, these expand a leader’s capacity to hold paradox, delivering today while reinventing for tomorrow.
The Benefits of Moving Up the Curve
Leaders who expand capacity don’t just survive pressure, they grow through it. The results:
Better performance under pressure – they stay clear in crises instead of collapsing.
Stronger, more resilient teams – steadiness inspires trust and loyalty.
Faster innovation – expansion unlocks creativity instead of firefighting.
Sustained impact – they reinvent themselves and their organizations instead of burning out.
Greater influence – steadiness under pressure is magnetic; people follow those who don’t falter.
Together, these capacities let leaders hold paradox: delivering today while reinventing for tomorrow. I like to think about delivery vs. future planning through a Pareto lens: leaders must dedicate the majority of their time (around 80%) to delivering today’s results — but they can’t neglect the 20% invested in future planning. That 20% often drives the breakthroughs that shape tomorrow.
Final Thoughts
Dick Fosbury’s leap wasn’t just athletic, it was symbolic. He didn’t squeeze more out of the old way. He expanded his capacity to attempt something new.
For leaders, the lesson is simple: It’s not about managing pressure within your limits. It’s about It’s about expanding capacity so pressure becomes fuel, not friction.
Which zone are you operating in today: expansion or contraction?
What would become possible if you made the switch?
Warmly,
Sanita
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