Uncertainty has become one of the defining realities of today’s workplace. Rapid change, ambiguity, and unpredictability are placing enormous pressure on both leaders and the people who look to them for guidance.
What does effective leadership look like in times like these?
I recently sat down with Blanchard trust expert Randy Conley to discuss how leaders can help their people cope with uncertainty.
Uncertainty Is More Than a Buzzword
David Witt:
Randy, there’s a lot of talk about uncertainty in the work environment these days. From your perspective, what are you seeing?
Randy Conley:
Uncertainty is certainly one of the biggest buzzwords I’m hearing from clients. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up on a word-of-the-year list for 2025. A lot of leaders are really struggling to lead in uncertainty, and that’s not surprising—uncertainty is inherently challenging. By definition, you don’t know what to expect.
Given my background in trust, I find it especially interesting that predictability is one of the key characteristics of trustworthiness. When people can reasonably predict someone’s behavior, trust increases. But when things become unpredictable, trust erodes. And when trust erodes, anxiety goes up.
This anxiety shows up both physically and emotionally. Stress hormones such as cortisol start flooding our systems. People become tense, reactive, and overwhelmed. In these moments, it’s very easy for leaders—and everyone else—to slip into reaction mode rather than responding thoughtfully and strategically.
The Behavioral Fallout of Anxiety at Work
Witt:
Beyond being reactionary, what other behaviors show up when people feel anxious or uncertain at work?
Conley:
We often see classic fight-or-flight responses. Some people become more aggressive as they try to regain a sense of control. Others withdraw because it feels safer to step back than to engage with something that feels overwhelming.
Over time, those reactions lead to outcomes no organization wants, such as disengagement, distrust, or burnout. People start to do the bare minimum: clock in, get through the day, clock out. Burnout, in particular, is often fueled by prolonged stress, heavy workloads, and a loss of control or agency.
I describe this behavior as similar to being stuck on a hamster wheel: constantly running but not really getting anywhere. And that’s not sustainable.
What Does Loss of Agency Really Mean?
Witt:
You mentioned loss of agency. Can you delve into that a bit?
Conley:
Loss of agency is really about someone losing a sense of personal control—feeling that they no longer have the ability to influence their environment or outcomes. When that happens, people start to feel like victims of circumstance rather than active participants.
Instead of showing initiative, confidence, or ownership, they begin to withdraw. They stop trying to shape what’s happening around them because they don’t believe their actions matter anymore.
The Weight on Leaders Has Never Been Heavier
Witt:
Let’s shift to the role of the leader. What do people need from their leaders in times like these?
Conley:
One of the most striking findings from our trends research is that quality of leadership emerged as the single most powerful focus area for organizational success. At the same time, only about one in five respondents felt that the quality of their organization’s leadership development efforts was what it could be.
Fair or not, this puts leaders under tremendous pressure. People look to their leaders for guidance, especially in uncertain times. This means leaders first have to understand how they personally deal with uncertainty. They need to manage their own reactions before they can help anyone else.
From there, leaders must be able to project and communicate a sense of stability and trust. One critical capability here is sensemaking. In ambiguous environments, leaders play a key role in creating clarity. Sensemaking is about helping people understand what’s happening and what to do next.
This doesn’t mean pretending to have all the answers. It means acknowledging reality honestly: here’s what we know, here’s what we don’t know, and here’s what we believe might happen. It also means painting a meaningful picture of the future—a path forward that gives people hope and direction.
When leaders do this well, they provide boundaries and focus. People can channel their energy toward moving forward instead of getting stuck in fear or distraction.
Trust as the Anchor in Uncertain Times
Witt:
You’ve studied trust for years. What does trust look like in an unpredictable world?
Conley:
Trust is the foundation that makes movement possible. Without trust, any vision of the future feels like empty rhetoric. It helps when leaders explore the elements of trust to learn their strengths when it comes to trustworthiness.
The first element is Able—are you competent? In uncertain times, leaders demonstrate competence by recognizing what’s happening, engaging their people, and co-creating a clear plan forward.
The second element is Believable—do you act with integrity? Are you honest and transparent? People can handle bad news better than spin. Toxic positivity erodes trust fast. If everything feels chaotic and the message from leadership is “everything’s fine,” people know that’s not real.
Third is Care (Connectedness). Organizations are made up of people. We can’t lose sight of the human side of work, especially with all the conversations about AI and automation. People need to know their leaders genuinely care about them and have their best interests in mind.
Finally, there’s Dependable—do you do what you say you’ll do? Consistency matters. Leaders need to balance agility with stability. If you’re constantly changing direction or launching the next big transformation, people start to lose confidence. They wonder if their leaders actually know where they are going.
Practical Ways Leaders Can Help Their People
Witt:
You have a webinar coming up that dives deeper into these ideas. What practical actions will you be sharing with leaders?
Conley:
We’ll explore sensemaking in more detail—what it actually looks like in day-to-day leadership. We’ll also talk about creating clarity around priorities and goals, so people can filter out noise and focus their energy where it matters most.
We’ll cover what people need to succeed at a high level and how leaders can support development toward high performance. And we’ll spend time on adaptability—helping leaders adjust their approach based on individual needs rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all style.
All of these strategies work together to help leaders guide their teams through uncertainty with confidence and care.
Leadership Is—and Always Will Be—About People
Witt:
Any final thoughts on how Blanchard helps leaders and organizations during these times?
Conley:
Leadership is fundamentally about relationships. Organizations need strategies, policies, and procedures, but it’s people who get things done.
Our role at Blanchard is to help leaders build the mindsets, skillsets, and tools they need to maximize those relationships. When leaders help their people be the best they can be, organizations are far more likely to achieve what they need to achieve—no matter how uncertain the environment.
____________________________________________________________________
Would you like to learn more about how to create a focused, aligned organization that’s ready to move forward confidently in 2026? Join us for a free webinar!
Leading Through Uncertainty: Creating a Focused and Aligned Organization
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time
Uncertainty has become a defining feature of today’s workplace, and leaders are feeling the pressure. Employees are anxious, trust is fragile, burnout is rising, and organizations continue to face unpredictable shifts that make it harder than ever for people to stay engaged and perform at their best.
In this webinar, Randy Conley, vice president and trust practice leader at Blanchard, explores what leaders must do now to navigate ambiguity with confidence, strengthen relationships, and create the stability people crave and organizations need.
What You'll Learn
Leadership is a powerful variable in organizational success. Today’s environment demands more from leaders: more emotional intelligence, transparency, steadiness, and skill in helping people make sense of complexity.
Learn how to provide this much-needed support for your people in our upcoming webinar.
About the Author
More Content by David Witt
