Leading Through Uncertainty: Five Ways To Build Trust In A Storm
Eight years ago, I was hunkered down as Hurricane Harvey pummeled Houston, Texas. After receiving conflicting evacuation messages from local and state leaders, most of us decided to stay put through the storm, ultimately contributing to 103 deaths. Beyond the wind and rain, there were delayed decisions, mixed messages, and emergency alerts that didn't reach everyone. It was a case study in the consequences of poor communication during a crisis, a reminder that leading through uncertainty requires clarity, speed, and trust. Because we couldn't count on real-time updates from official sources, social media became our lifeline (and, at times, our source for dangerous misinformation).
Harvey taught me that in a crisis, delayed or unclear communication can be just as harmful as the threat itself.
From tariffs to AI to climate change to global conflict, we're operating in an era defined by instability. If you're waiting for the storm to pass before you communicate with your organization, you're leaving your folks to make their own forecasts (and evacuation plans).An Age of Instability
We are living in an age of shifting winds: the 2025 Heidrick & Struggles CEO & Board Confidence Monitor names economic uncertainty, geopolitical volatility, and shifting market dynamics as the top three challenges facing organizations today. Executives are braced for squalls, and they know it will only get more turbulent.
Unfortunately, most leaders aren't confident their teams are equipped to navigate the stormy weather. According to the Weber Shandwick Collective C-Suite Outlook Report, only 17% of CEOs feel their communications and public affairs functions are fully prepared to keep pace with today's rapid economic, geopolitical, and market shifts. 13% of CEOs report their confidence in those functions has actually declined.
This uncertainty and weak internal communication doesn't just trickle down: it floods organizations, compounding confusion and stress for employees who have less insight and agency than senior leaders. When workers aren't kept in the loop about company strategy, they're left guessing how it will affect their roles… or whether they'll even still have one in the coming days.Why You Can't Wait to Communicate
The truth is that uncertainty heightens anxiety and erodes trust, and those leaders who wait to communicate deepen this tension within their orgs. Silence leaves employees to wonder if leadership even sees the storm raging, causing cognitive dissonance and creating disconnect.
You can tell this is happening when employees begin to withhold their concerns, a dynamic called employee silence. Unfortunately, mutual quiet doesn't signal calm. It signals that the organization is in the eye of the storm. Team members burn out, make avoidable errors, and ultimately drift toward companies that promise clearer direction.Leading Through Uncertainty
So what should leaders do to communicate effectively with their orgs when facing uncertainty? Here are five things you can do now:Leadership Isn't Certainty, It's Presence
The hardest part about leading through uncertainty is resisting the urge to wait to communicate. In unpredictable times, your team doesn't need you to promise clear skies. They need you to give updates on the storm and share how you plan to ride it out together.
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