How Finance Leaders Enable CEOs to Play Offense in Uncertain Markets

If you’re waiting for a year that feels “safe,” you’ll be waiting indefinitely.

As 2026 begins, market conditions remain uncertain. Interest rates, geopolitics, and macro volatility haven’t resolved themselves. What has changed is how leadership teams are responding. The cost of waiting has risen. Capital can’t sit idle. Opportunities don’t pause.

The organizations that will outperform their competition this year are not those predicting the future more accurately; they’re the ones building the capability to act decisively without perfect information.

This article covers:

• Why inaction has become the biggest risk
• How high-performing teams stayed ready while others stalled
• Where leaders are investing and cutting
• The questions CEOs should be asking financial leaders

Why This Moment Requires a Different Kind of CEO Action

After a prolonged period of caution, organizations are no longer asking how to simply “get through” uncertainty. They’re asking how to move forward responsibly within it, tightening where needed, investing where it matters, and staying positioned to act.

That shift is reflected in the latest finance leadership sentiment. According to Deloitte’s Q4 2025 CFO Signals survey, CFO confidence reached 6.6 out of 10. Its highest level since 2021, and risk appetite rebounded meaningfully, with a majority of finance chiefs indicating readiness to engage strategically in 2026.

“Reacting to uncertainty by doing nothing is a losing strategy,” says Kellen Smith, CEO of 8020 Consulting. “The leaders who outperform are the ones who stay engaged and keep moving, even when conditions aren’t clear.”

Leaders are cutting aggressively where spend doesn’t drive outcomes, while continuing to invest in the capabilities required to grow. Deloitte’s Signals survey highlights digital transformation, including data, automation, and tech integration, as a top priority for finance teams heading into 2026.

What the Last Year Revealed About Finance Readiness

If earlier years were about survival, the past year was about recalibration.

Organizations that performed best weren’t the most aggressive. They were the ones that rebuilt visibility into the fundamentals and regained control, not as theory, but as an operating discipline. They had forecasting leaders they could trust, clear liquidity visibility, and scenario planning tied directly to decisions.

This pattern mirrors what broader research has shown. McKinsey has repeatedly found that organizations with faster decision cycles outperform peers during periods of volatility,  not because they predict the future better, but because they’re able to act sooner with sufficient insight - not “perfect” information.

Across industries, the pattern was consistent:

• Teams with strong finance infrastructure responded faster

• Teams without it stalled

• Opportunity existed while readiness often did not

In many cases, strong business performance masked underlying gaps. Companies were functioning, but their finance organizations weren’t built for faster decision cycles or sustained movement.

What 8020 Is Seeing Across the Market

By partnering with and directly executing with leadership teams across varying industries, 8020 is seeing these barriers consistently:

These constraints become visible the moment an opportunity appears. Organizations that can’t quickly evaluate tradeoffs, model outcomes, or mobilize execution miss moments that won’t wait.

The Finance Capabilities That Matter The Most

> Capital Allocation-Disciplined, Not Defensive

Leaders are cutting spend aggressively where it doesn’t matter and investing deliberately where it does. Every dollar is examined. The question has shifted from Can we spend? to Is this worth it?

> AI-From Curiosity to Capability

Exploration has given way to integration. AI is being embedded to absorb routine, repeatable work while creating the time and capacity finance leaders need to focus on forecasting, analytics, and better decision-making.

> H3: Finance Agility: A Leadership Requirement

Organizations that can evaluate scenarios quickly, talk through options, and act decisively will outperform those slowed by process or capacity constraints.

“This is about playing offense despite uncertainty,” Kellen adds. “Not recklessly — but deliberately, with the right systems, people, and information in place.”

The Questions You Should Be Asking Now

As you look ahead, ask these questions of your finance team to reveal readiness:

• Do we have the visibility to make decisions quickly?

• Are we planning for multiple outcomes and not just one?

• Has finance regained enough capacity to support growth, not just control?

• If an opportunity appeared tomorrow, could we respond with confidence?

Strong finance leadership doesn’t default to “no.” It brings curiosity, evaluates tradeoffs, and helps leadership move forward responsibly.

“The mindset has to shift from saying ‘no’ to asking ‘what if,’” says Kellen Smith. “What options are on the table, and which levers create the right balance of upside and return? Standing still isn’t an option.”

This framing reinforces finance’s role as an enabler of disciplined action, not a barrier to progress, especially when conditions are uncertain.

Final Perspective

Uncertainty isn’t new. What’s changed is the growing cost of standing still.

The strongest organizations aren’t waiting for a “better” year. They’re building finance functions that enable thoughtful, selective, and disciplined action.

At 8020 Consulting, we work with CEOs and finance leaders navigating these decisions every day. If you’re reassessing assumptions or evaluating whether your finance team is equipped to move forward with confidence, a conversation with an 8020 consultant can provide a clear, experienced outside perspective.

To continue the conversation, reach out to us here. In uncertain markets, the real risk is inaction.