Navigating Uncertainty: How Leaders Can Support Their Teams

Uncertainty is no longer a temporary season leaders “get through”; it is the backdrop for almost every decision they make. Leading well in this environment is less about predicting the future and more about helping teams stay focused, hopeful, and effective amid constant change.

Often, leaders put unnecessary pressure on themselves to have all the answers. In other cases, some feel burdened trying to help everyone stay positive or feel good. If you find yourself in these camps, then let yourself off the hook.

Humility and the courage to say you don’t have the answers and that you too are worried, uncertain, or nervous goes a long way in building the trust needed between leaders and teams in times of uncertainty.

Here are a few more strategies and even some examples of what to say that can help you “steady the ship” for your team.

Create Stability and Hope

Stability and hope are not about pretending everything is fine; they are about giving people enough predictability and direction that they can keep doing meaningful work, even while the ground shifts. Research and practitioner insight point to several leader actions that reliably provide that sense of steadiness.

Key practices that create stability and hope include:

• Clarifying what will remain constant

• Providing a clear, near-term path

• Modeling calm and compassion

In a large health system, a chief nursing officer might stabilize the environment by reiterating what is non-negotiable—such as patient safety standards and core values—while clearly outlining 30–90 day priorities and supports for staff well-being. This might include predictable rounding schedules, consistent huddle structures, and visible reinforcement that speaking up about stress and capacity is welcome.

In a corporate or nonprofit setting, a senior leader can create hope by connecting day-to-day tasks to a compelling future state—“Here’s the impact we are still committed to making, and here is how this next phase of work moves us in that direction”—while also making space for grief and fatigue.

Studies of followers’ needs highlight four recurring expectations in times of uncertainty: stability (a sense of safety), compassion (feeling cared for), trust (belief that leaders are honest and reliable), and hope (confidence that the future can be better). Leaders who listen actively, follow through on commitments, and consistently link present actions to a realistic, values-based vision meet those needs more effectively.

Name the Uncertainty and Normalize Discomfort

When people don’t get clear information, they tend to fill in the blanks, and the story is usually worst‑case. I’ve done this myself. Early in my career, I heard about a departmental restructuring, and within five seconds, my mind jumped straight to layoffs—even though no one had mentioned them. The simple absence of information was enough for my brain to supply a scary ending.​

Uncertainty often triggers a fight/flight/freeze reflex in us. For example, as leaders we may freeze or delay decisions because we don’t have an answer. This is the opposite of what we need to do.

Research on leaders in local health systems during the pandemic found that those who explicitly acknowledged uncertainty and its emotional impact were better able to keep their organizations functioning and adapting.

Here is what that might look like:

• In a hospital, a chief medical officer might begin a town hall by saying, “Staffing and reimbursement are changing quickly; we don’t yet know the full impact, and that is unsettling.”

• In a corporate setting facing market disruption, a division VP could open an all-hands by saying, “This uncertainty is uncomfortable, and many of us are feeling anxious about what it means for our jobs and our customers. Here’s what we know right now, what we don’t know yet, and what we’re going to focus on together over the next 90 days.”

  
  

In both cases, naming discomfort reduces the sense that anxiety is a private failing and makes it a shared, discussable reality.​

Build Psychological Safety, Not False Certainty

Harvard research on psychological safety shows that high-performing teams speak up about errors, risks, and concerns, which is especially critical in uncertain environments. This is about feeling safe with your boss and colleagues to take an interpersonal risk or “sticking your neck out” and knowing you won’t be punished, made fun of, or dismissed.

A nurse manager might say in a daily huddle, “We’re trying a new patient flow today; if something feels off or unsafe, I want you to speak up immediately so we can adjust.” In a corporate product team, a VP could open a project debrief with, “There were misses in this launch; my goal is to understand what happened so we can learn, not to assign blame.”

These behaviors make it safer for people to raise issues while they are still small, rather than hiding them out of fear.

Leaders cannot eliminate uncertainty, but they can profoundly shape how it feels to work within it. By deliberately fostering stability and hope, naming reality, and building psychological safety, they give their teams what they need most: a steady place to stand and a believable path ahead, even when the road is still unfolding.

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Until next time!

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 Amy Drader is a management consultant and credentialed coach with over 20 years’ experience in HR and operations. She knows first-hand the joys and challenges of leading people and is dedicated to helping managers and teams advance their performance. She is the owner of Growth Partners Consulting, a boutique leadership and team development consulting firm that provides customized training, coaching, and professional development resources.