How to Effectively Lead a Team Through Change & Uncertainty
Let’s be honest: change isn’t an event, it’s a daily reality. Your inbox changes. Your priorities change. Your boss changes direction (again). Your company rolls out a new system at 4 p.m. on a Thursday. And somewhere in all of that chaos, you’re expected to lead people through it.
I know this world intimately.
Across two decades working with global teams, building award-winning initiatives, navigating restructures, shifting entire departments, and yes, even being asked to step away from projects I believed in, I’ve learned something that grounds every keynote I deliver:
Leading through change isn’t about having all the answers. Leadership is about choosing courage so others can find theirs.
One of the stories I share in my keynote Change Is a Team Sport™ comes from a moment when my team was navigating what felt like a tidal wave; new leadership, new expectations, new outcomes, all arriving faster than anyone could process. You could feel the tension in the room before you even stepped into it. People were exhausted, worried, and quietly wondering what this all meant for them.
I remember standing there, heart beating just a little harder than usual, wishing I had the perfect roadmap, the kind of confident, cleanly packaged strategy leaders are “supposed” to have. But here’s the truth I had to learn the hard way (and it took me a long time to get here):
Real leadership, the type of leadership others want to emulate, is all about turning uncertainty into possibility. It’s that organic. That basic. Possibility.
So I took a breath, grounded myself, and said the simplest, truest thing I could: “I don’t have all the answers yet. But I’m right here with you. And we will figure this out, together.”
And something shifted….
Shoulders softened. The silence eased. People looked up instead of down. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was meaningful, a tiny but powerful moment of collective exhale. A reminder that they weren’t walking into the unknown alone.
That moment changed me as a leader. It taught me what no textbook, certification, or leadership retreat ever had: leading through change is less about certainty and more about presence. It’s about showing up, steady, honest, and human, even when the path ahead is foggy.
And through every season since, global initiatives, department restructures, transformations that pushed every comfort zone, and losing people I truly valued, these lessons have stuck with me.
Understanding the Different Types of Change
Change isn’t one-size-fits-all. It comes in different forms, with different impacts, and different emotional and operational demands. When leaders understand the type of change they’re facing, they can respond with more clarity, empathy, and strategy.
Here are the four most common types of change teams experience — and what they actually mean inside an organization.
1. Organizational Change
What it is:
Shifts that impact the structure, leadership, or overall shape of the organization.
Examples:
Reorganizations or departmental restructuring
New leadership or changes in reporting lines
Mergers, acquisitions, or partnerships
Shifts in ownership or governance
Why it matters:
Organizational change reshapes how people belong, where they sit, who they report to, and how decisions get made. It often triggers questions around identity, stability, roles, and team dynamics.
Leaders need to:
Communicate early, often, and honestly. Provide clarity on the “why,” create space for questions, and help people find new footing in the new landscape.
2. Strategy Change
What it is:
Shifts in direction, goals, or priorities that guide the organization’s future.
Examples:
New markets or customer segments
New company goals, KPIs, or strategic priorities
Shifting from growth to efficiency (or vice versa)
Redefining success or performance measures
Why it matters:
Strategy changes impact where teams spend their time, how success is measured, and what is considered “urgent” or “important.” The work might be familiar, but the destination changes — which can create both opportunity and uncertainty.
Leaders need to:
Connect the dots for their teams. People perform better when they understand the “why” behind a shift and how their role contributes to the new direction.
3. Process or Tool Change
What it is:
When the systems, tools, or workflows people use to do their jobs shift or evolve.
Examples:
New software, platforms, or digital tools
Automation replacing manual tasks
New workflows, documentation, or quality processes
Standardizing procedures across teams
Why it matters:
Process and tool changes ask people to unlearn old habits and adopt new ones. This can create both resistance (“the old way worked fine”) and relief (“finally, something easier”), depending on the quality of training, communication, and timing.
Leaders need to:
Set realistic expectations and create psychological safety for the learning curve. People need permission to ask questions, make mistakes, and get comfortable with the unfamiliar.
4. Role Change
What it is:
Shifts in responsibilities, expectations, or headcount that impact individuals directly.
Examples:
Promotions or expanded responsibilities
New performance expectations
Layoffs or downsizing
Team members joining, leaving, or moving roles
Why it matters:
Role changes affect identity, confidence, relationships, and growth. Whether it’s promotion or loss, change that impacts “who I am at work” is often the most emotionally charged.
Leaders need to:
Lead with empathy and clarity. Help people understand what is expected, what support is available, and how to navigate the transition with confidence.
Why These Categories Matter
Leaders often treat all change the same — but each type asks something different of the people experiencing it.
Organizational change asks for stability
Strategy change asks for alignment
Process change asks for patience & learning
Role change asks for empathy & support
When leaders diagnose the type of change correctly, they respond more intentionally — and teams move through the transition with less confusion and more confidence.
Why Change Feels So Hard (Even for the Best Teams)
Change looks operational on paper. But in real life? It’s emotional. It’s personal. It’s human. Every change, big or small, triggers the kinds of quiet, private questions people don’t always say out loud:
“What does this mean for me?”
“Will I still be successful?”
“Do I still have a place here?”
“Is something wrong and no one is telling me?”
“Should I be worried?”
I’ve watched even the most confident, high-achieving professionals drop their gaze the moment a new change is announced not because they doubt the strategy, but because they’re suddenly unsure of their place in it.
I remember one team member pulling me aside during a particularly turbulent season. She whispered and I mean whispered, “I just need to know I’m not about to become irrelevant.”
She wasn’t asking about the workflow. She wasn’t asking about the timeline. She was asking about her worth.
And that’s the part leaders often underestimate.
Change doesn’t just rearrange org charts or team priorities, it rearranges people’s sense of identity, stability, and belonging.
If leaders don’t address these underlying fears, the team will fill in the blanks on their own, usually with the least generous, least hopeful version of the truth.
Because here’s what I’ve learned: When information is missing, anxiety writes its own story.
And anxiety is a lousy author. Change impacts people before it impacts performance….. Always. If you ignore the first part, the second part will absolutely crumble.
What Makes Change Feel Heavy
Change feels heavy for one simple, universal reason: It disrupts our sense of safety.
We like to think we’re adaptable, spontaneous, go-with-the-flow people. Except, underneath the layers, we know we aren’t. Even the most capable, dependable humans have a breaking point when their foundation shifts.
I’ve watched teams respond in all kinds of ways, and quite frankly, I’ve been there myself.
✔ People cling to old processes
I once had someone say, “I know this is the old system, but it’s the only thing that still feels familiar.”
That wasn’t resistance, she wasn’t trying to be difficult, it was comfort in a world suddenly full of unknowns.
✔ People overwork to maintain control
You can practically hear the internal monologue: “If I stay late… if I do more… if I outperform… maybe the change won’t hurt me.” This became my default for years on end. It was exhausting. I missed family moments, celebrations, important dates, all because I was afraid to shut it down.
That’s not ambition. That’s fear dressed up as productivity.
✔ People shut down
Quiet doesn’t mean disengaged. Sometimes quiet means overwhelmed.
Someone who suddenly goes silent is often carrying the heaviest of emotional loads. Don’t assume or ignore, dive in deep, ask the questions to keep people engaged, let them know you care about them. Trash the idea (no news is good news) and replace it with a healthy dose of curiosity.
✔ People get defensive
Not because they don’t want to change, but because they’re trying to protect the parts of their work that feel like home.
✔ People procrastinate
Not because they’re lazy, but because uncertainty creates mental static that makes it hard to focus.
✔ People “wait for the storm to pass”
One person once told me, “These things usually go away if you’re patient enough.” That wasn’t indifference. That was survival. And here’s the most important part:
All of this is normal. All of this is human. All of this is information….not a character flaw. When I realized this, I started to succeed as a leader.
When leaders learn to interpret these signals with empathy instead of frustration, the heaviness becomes easier to navigate.
Because beneath every reaction is a simple truth: People are trying, in their own way, to find their footing again.
And when leaders support that process instead of judging it, change becomes far less heavy for everyone.
Practical, Real-World Tips for Leading Through Change
These aren’t theories. These are real moments from real teams, the kind of lessons that only come from walking through change shoulder-to-shoulder with people you care about.
1. Have a 15-minute “Here’s what we know today” huddle
During a particularly chaotic season, my team was drowning in unanswered questions. Every day brought a new “update.” Every update brought new anxiety.
So one morning I grabbed a dry-erase marker and called everyone together. No agenda. No slideshow.
Just honesty: “Here’s what we know today. Here’s what we don’t know yet. Here’s what happens next.”
That little daily ritual changed everything. People stopped spiraling. The rumor mill slowed. The team exhaled.
It wasn’t fancy. It was human and it worked.
2. Give people space to react how they react
During another transition, I watched two of my strongest team members process the same news in totally different ways.
One immediately went into planning mode. The other went quiet, withdrawn, overwhelmed, not herself.
Old me would have tried to “fix it fast.” But I’d learned better.
I pulled her aside and said: “However you’re feeling is okay. You don’t have to perform through this.”
She teared up. Not because I solved anything, but because she didn’t have to pretend.
People don’t need perfection. They need permission.
3. Repeat the story more times than you think you need to
A few years back, I rolled out a major shift that impacted multiple teams. I must have told the story behind the change, the why, the what, the impact, dozens of times.
Town halls. Team meetings. 1:1s. Emails. Coffee chats. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
One day someone said, “Erin, I finally get it. I heard it differently today.”
That’s when I realized: People don’t hear you the first time. They hear you when they feel safe.
Repetition isn’t redundant, it’s reassuring.
4. Invite people into the process — even if you can’t change everything
I once led a project where the direction had already been decided at a much higher level. My team couldn’t change the “what,” but we had influence over the “how.”
So I brought everyone together and said: “We can’t change the decision, but we can shape how we execute it. What do you see?”
Their ideas were brilliant, small adjustments that made the rollout faster, kinder, and more sustainable.
People support what they help create, so involve them.
5. Protect your high performers (they’ll burn out quietly)
One of my top performers once insisted, “I’m good. I’m fine. I’ve got it.”
Except she didn’t. She was drowning, politely, quietly, invisibly.
During a 1:1 I asked her: “Give me the version of how you’re doing that you’re not saying out loud.”
She paused… and then she cracked just a little. Not dramatically, just honestly.
We redistributed the workload and put guardrails in place. Three weeks later she was herself again.
High performers won’t ask for your help, but oftentimes, they are the ones that need it the most during times of transition.
Final Thoughts: The Part of Change No One Talks About
Change will stretch you. It will humble you. It will ask you to grow in ways you didn’t plan for.
And through every season, the wins, the pivots, the restructures, the disappointments, the rebuilds, one truth has never changed: Change is a constant. But who we become in the middle of it? That’s the real leadership story.
Your people don’t need you to be perfect. They need you to be real.
They need your steadiness. Your honesty. Your clarity. Your presence. Your humanity.
Because at the end of the day and at the heart of every change I’ve ever led, one truth remains:
Teams don’t need leaders who know everything. They need leaders who know them.
Ready to strengthen the way your team leads through change?
Whether it’s through a keynote, workshop, or deeper culture-building engagement, I’d love to support your team.
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Let’s build teams that don’t just survive change, they rise through it.