Uncertainty isn’t exactly rare right now.
Economic forecasts change every quarter. Company priorities shift overnight. AI (allegedly) is reshaping jobs faster than most organizations can redesign them. Entire departments sometimes find out they’re being reorganized at the same time customers do.
People are used to change, but what wears them down is constant ambiguity about what matters and whether their work still fits the bigger picture.
That ambiguity usually lands on managers first. You’re expected to keep teams focused while still trying to understand what leadership is deciding behind closed doors.
Over my management career, I’ve gone through what averages out to about 1.3 organisational changes per year. Early on, I handled this by waiting until I had clear answers before saying anything.
I believed I was protecting the team from confusion. What I was actually doing was leaving them to figure it out alone.
Perfect Conditions
One of my early management mistakes was waiting for “perfect conditions” before speaking or acting. It felt responsible at the time. It also slowed everything down and made uncertainty worse.
And not surprisingly, I have noticed a similar pattern to quite a lot of new managers I’ve had a chance to mentor.
The usual reactions look like this:
Over-reassuring without evidence
Avoiding tough topics until leadership makes official announcements
Trying to control every small detail to compensate for big unknowns
Hiding inside planning sessions that never turn into decisions
All of these feel logical. They’re also terrible for team stability.
When you go quiet, your team starts filling the gap with guesswork. And people are extremely creative when they’re anxious. They will invent worst-case scenarios faster than you can calm them down.
I’ve seen people start job hunting weeks before any real change happened. I remember one teammate who decided to leave because of uncertainty around upcoming organisational changes. Ironically, the changes ended up being positive and would have created better opportunities for them.
People don’t expect certainty from leaders. They just want to see that you haven't checked out and are still making the hard calls.
Reliable Structure
What teams usually need instead is structure they can rely on, even if you don’t have clarity about what’s coming next.
Focus on your communication rhythm. Don’t wait until you have news. Pick a regular time to update your team and stick to it. It can be as simple as using the first ten minutes of your weekly team meeting for updates. Sometimes the message will simply be that nothing has changed. That alone reduces speculation and side conversations.
It is really important to separate facts from assumptions and rumors. When uncertainty is high, people blend them together. So, be explicit about what is confirmed, what is being discussed, and what you are hearing but cannot verify. It helps people stay grounded in reality.
Your behavior matters just as much as your words. Forced optimism will make people suspicious. Calm and honest communication makes people feel safer, even when the message isn’t positive.
Finally, narrow priorities aggressively. When things are uncertain, people usually struggle with focus. Fewer priorities make it easier to maintain momentum and make decisions without constant second-guessing.
The Bottom Line
Leading through uncertainty isn’t about having better answers. Most of the time, nobody has them.
So, focus on keeping work moving, priorities clear, and conversations honest. Teams rarely fall apart because leaders don’t know the future. But they do fall apart when leadership becomes unpredictable or silent.
If your team knows when they’ll hear from you, what matters right now, and that you’ll speak plainly, you’re already doing this better than most.
See you next week,
Mr. Good Enough