The Invisible Work of Holding Space in Leadership

Claire Irving, experienced CEO and co-founder of Better Strategic Consultancy Ltd ponders the links between Cynthia Enrivo and being the best leader possible

Watching Cynthia Erivo on Strictly Come Dancing (don’t come at me, I will win) reminded me of the viral holding space interview* she had when promoting Wicked.

Holding space is the kind of leadership work that never makes it into job descriptions. It isn’t plotted on a Trello board or Gantt chart and you can’t summarise it in a board report. But without it, everything else quietly starts to crumble.

So what does holding space mean for a CEO?

So, what does Cynthia Enrivo I think is the invisible work of holding space for a CEO?

It’s being able to stay calm when the room is tense. Being able to absorb uncertainty so that the team can keep moving. Being able to carry others’ hopes, fears and frustrations, often while silently managing your own. It's the job, the emotional labour, strategic holding, and constant sense-making, all wrapped up in one role.  It rarely gets seen but is always felt.

When I work with CEOs, this is often what sits beneath the surface of the strategy conversation. They’re trying to lead change and keep people steady. They’re balancing board expectations, team wellbeing, systems and sometimes inane processes and their own limits….

But here’s the thing: you can’t hold space for others if you never reclaim any for yourself. This was one of my biggest learnings as an emerging and then established leader and I wanted to share with you some things that may help you.

How to hold space without burning out

Build reflective rituals

Whether it’s a walk before meetings, journalling after big decisions, or five quiet minutes in the car before heading home, make decompression part of your job, not an optional extra. Stillness is where the sense-making happens and enables you to make and keep room for the other important things in your life (this may or may not be musicals).

Create a circle of support that is just for you

Every CEO needs people around them who don’t work for them. A Chair who listens well. A peer who tells you the truth kindly. A coach, mentor or facilitator who helps you untangle the noise. Space to think out loud and to talk around the issues is oxygen and very necessary if you want to avoid an oxygen-free echo chamber. My trusted network remain a special and key part of my life. 

Name what’s happening in a room (you can because you have the power)

And you can use that power to protect yourself and others.  When tension rises, saying out loud “I can feel we’re stuck,” or “there’s a lot of uncertainty here” can break the spell. It can bring the temperature down so that you can all refocus and hopefully move on. Sometimes as the CEO you are the only one who can do this, and do it you must.

Protect your boundaries fiercely

You can be compassionate without being endlessly available. Decide what’s yours to hold, and what’s not. Model this, so your team can do the same. I'm discovering that the work on this never stops.

Keep connecting your people back to purpose

When everyone’s tired, reconnecting to why the work matters recharges more than any pep talk. Providing meaning can be the best antidote to uncertainty and give people the courage to act.

The ability to hold space for others is one of the most powerful and most exhausting forms of leadership. It demands empathy, boundaries and deep self-awareness. It’s not soft; it’s skilled.

So, if you’re a CEO doing that invisible work right now, take a moment to recognise it. You’re not “just keeping things going.” You’re creating the conditions for others to think, create and thrive. Because every strong culture, every brave decision, every spark of clarity starts with someone holding the space long enough for it to emerge.

Thank you Cynthia, you are a queen. 

At Better, we see that invisible work every day and have done it ourselves. We help leaders and organisations to keep leading with humanity and have something left in the tank.

*A little chance to see Queen Cynthia here:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/APsIOTMNZyA?feature=share