Change is coming fast - and it’s not slowing down. New policies, shifting roles, surprise restructures. If you're leading a team right now, you’re probably noticing it: uncertainty is everywhere. Tension is rising. Engagement is slipping. And your people are tired.
If that’s true, you’re not doing anything wrong. In fact, it means your team is human.
Here’s the truth most leaders miss: change doesn’t feel hard because your team is resistant; it feels hard because their brains are doing exactly what they’re wired to do.
Whether it’s a reorg, a new initiative, or a leadership shake-up, our brains treat change like danger.
Why? Because we’re wired to crave certainty and control. We feel safer when things are predictable, even if what’s coming might be better in the long run.
So when a big change lands, the mind races:
“Will I lose autonomy? Will my job change? Is this just more work with less support?”
That’s not negativity. That’s biology. The instinctive reaction to change is loss-focused thinking—zeroing in on what might go wrong, what might disappear, and how it might disrupt what we’ve worked hard to build.
And when that mindset goes unaddressed, it leads to resistance, disengagement, or even quiet quitting.
But here’s the good news: you can help your team move through it - without pretending everything’s fine.
The most resilient teams don’t avoid uncertainty. They learn how to work through it together.
And it starts with one simple shift: stop trying to fix the discomfort, and start naming it.
Here’s how to guide yourself and your team through it.
Instead of pushing positivity, name what’s real. That change will cost something—time, comfort, familiar routines, maybe even power or pride.
Let your team talk about it. Let them grieve a little. When people feel heard and validated, it lowers defensiveness and opens the door to possibility.
Once the loss is named, help your team zoom out. Ask:
This isn’t about toxic positivity. It's about helping the brain shift. You’re scaffolding a new perspective that helps move from fear to curiosity.
Sometimes, what you need most is a trusted colleague who isn’t as close to the change. Ask them: What do you see that I might be missing? A fresh perspective, especially from someone outside the emotional center of the change, can break the cycle of tunnel vision and help you reframe what’s possible.
This is the thread that holds it all together. When people feel safe to say, “I don’t get this” or “I’m worried” without fear of being labeled resistant, they stop hiding. They start engaging. Safety doesn’t remove the discomfort. It gives people enough stability to move through it instead of getting stuck in it.
If you’re leading through constant change, your people need more than updates and to-do lists. They need help making meaning in the middle of the mess. They need spaces where fear, loss, and possibility can coexist.
And that starts with you.
Want to go Deeper?
If your team is stuck in uncertainty, start here: Everything Feels Uncertain. Now What? – our most popular on-demand session for teams who want a science-backed, human-centered way to lead through change.