Steady in the storm: What great leaders do during change
- James Rule
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
Some leadership tests arrive quietly. Others roar in like a storm. Restructures, market pivots, cultural overhauls, mergers. These moments demand more than operational expertise. They demand emotional steadiness, vision, and the capacity to bring clarity when everything else feels uncertain.
Leading through change isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about showing up with the right mindset, the right presence, and the right behaviours.
This is where great leaders set themselves apart. Not in times of ease, but in seasons of transformation.
Let’s be honest most people don’t like change. That’s not because they are lazy, incompetent, or lacking drive. It’s because change threatens identity, it disrupts routines. It challenges our sense of control and security.
When things shift around us, the natural human response is to cling tightly to what we know. This is where leadership becomes critical. As leaders, we have two choices, we can amplify the uncertainty, or we can calm it.
Three pillars for leading through change
1. Emotional tone setting -You are the emotional thermostat of your team. If you project panic, frustration or disconnection expect to see that echoed in your people. But if you bring calm, courage and empathy into the room, you create an environment where others feel able to stay grounded and move forward.
2. Communication that reassures and clarifies - Change thrives in good communication systems. Or it falls apart in the absence of them.
Silence and ambiguity will send people into fear and assumption. During change, it’s not enough to send a memo or hold one meeting. You must over communicate the why, the what and the how again and again, with honesty and clarity. People don’t just want information. They want reassurance.
3. Anchoring in Values -Change often disrupts processes and strategies, but your values should be immovable. When the world shifts, your people need something solid to hold onto. Values become that anchor.
In The Lonely Leader Podcast episode 74, I share practical tips to help leaders lead with strength in times of change. Here is a brief overview of five of those tips:
1. Model optimism with realism -People want hope, but not hype. If everything you say is overly positive and disconnected from reality, you’ll lose credibility. But if you swing the other way and only highlight risks and fears, you’ll crush morale.
The sweet spot? Show optimism grounded in facts. Be the voice that says, “This will be hard, but we’re capable and here’s how we’ll face it together.”
2. Acknowledge uncertainty - Pretending you have all the answers doesn’t make you a strong leader. It makes you seem out of touch. People respect honesty. They can handle tough truths. What they can’t handle is false confidence or denial.
Acknowledging what you don’t know and outlining what you’re doing to navigate that gap builds trust and psychological safety.
3. Protect Psychological Safety - During change, people are more likely to hold back their ideas, questions, and honest feedback. They fear judgement, rejection, or being seen as resistant. As a leader, you must model and protect psychological safety. When people feel safe to speak, they’re far more likely to engage and that’s how you get real momentum.
4. Stay visible and present - Change is often led in strategy rooms, planning calls, and senior exec meetings. But the true impact is felt on the ground. If you disappear during the chaos, your people will feel abandoned. Visibility matters. Your team needs to see and feel your presence, not just hear about it in an update. Be the kind of leader who shows up, listens, asks questions, and stays connected.
5. Celebrate progress, not just results - During long-term change, results don’t come overnight. That’s why it’s so important to celebrate progress along the way. Did a team implement a new process? Shift their mindset? Bounce back from a difficult week? That’s worth acknowledging.
When you shine a light on adaptive effort not just outcomes you reinforce the behaviours that help people stick with the change process.
Final thought: Are you the leader they can count on? The need for change often presents itself whether we’re ready or not. Your job is to be the person your team can count on to stay calm, communicate clearly, and guide with purpose.
So I’ll leave you with this question: When everything else shifts… are you steady in the storm? I hope the tips contained within the Podcast will enable you to answer with resounding YES!
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