Whole Hog Politics: A pseudo-policy at a pseudo-convention

25 leaders on keeping teams aligned during uncertainty

Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Ask any leader and they’ll say it’s impossible to know exactly what comes next. That can create some anxiety even in good times. But when there’s uncertainty or market turbulence, how leaders steer the ship can determine whether teams stay on course or veer in the wrong direction. We asked members of the Fast Company Impact Council how they keep their team aligned during uncertainty. Below, 25 of those leaders share their go-to strategies for navigating through unknown waters. 1. BE HONEST WITH YOUR TEAMS Share with them the uncertainty and show them that this is part of business. Explain you are in it together, and as a team, you will ride out the choppy waters and come out stronger than before. Over communication is better than the opposite. People want to feel “in the know” when things feel unsettled or unpredictable. — Ed Mitzen , Business For Good Foundation 2. KEEP A PURELY POSITIVE ATTITUDE I reassure by recalling all the times we’ve navigated ourselves successfully through similar uncertainties in the past. I keep us focused on what’s going right right now, and what we can get excited about creating in the future. I keep my core team close and cared for. I have an on-staff coach to care for their mental well-being. And I keep my team financially well by taking any hits to the bottom line myself. — Lindsey Witmer Collins , WLCM App Studio 3. VISION AND VALUES It’s your north star for guiding decision-making, inspiring people to be their best, and holding people to the standard they have agreed to. We built a code made up of our purpose, value, and behaviors we want everyone to live. It’s simple and we engage with it through a bunch of different rituals on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The public code is to have the courage to stand up, stand out, and stand together to accelerate change in the world. It guides everything we do, especially in uncertain times. — Phillip Haid , Public Inc. 4. TRANSPARENCY Transparency has a powerful impact on morale because it builds trust, reduces uncertainty, and helps employees feel respected and valued. Leaders who are honest about challenges, including admitting when they don’t have all the answers, demonstrate authenticity and credibility. By inviting employees to contribute ideas and solutions, organizations foster a sense of ownership and community, often turning uncertainty into an opportunity for collaboration and resilience. — Chris K Bailey , Bailey Brand Consulting 5. LEAVE ROOM FOR MAGIC We live by a core value we call “leave room for magic.” Get radically clear on the destination. Make sure everyone knows their role in getting there. Then trust the team to navigate the path. In 2025, we faced real uncertainty among schools and foodservice teams, but because our team was aligned on the mission and our “why,” they had the autonomy to adapt as circumstances shifted. That’s why we didn’t just hit our goal of reaching 1 million kids—we exceeded it. — Nora LaTorre , Eat Real 6. PROVIDE CLARITY ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL For alignment during change and disruption, teams don’t need certainty, they need clarity. I think it’s a bit like driving through fog: You don’t need to see the entire road ahead. You just need to focus on the stretch right in front of you for now. In uncertain times, it’s easy for people to spend energy on things they can’t control. My role isn’t to be the hero with all the answers. It is to guide my teams to get clarity on what we can control and how we’ll move forward, while also acknowledging what we can’t control and how we’ll adapt as we learn more. That balance keeps people focused and moving forward together. — Maril Gagen MacDonald , Gagen MacDonald 7. COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION In times of uncertainty, people need to hear from leaders more, not less, and even when you don’t have all the answers. Be clear about what you know, what you don’t, and what matters most right now. Alignment comes from creating clarity when certainty isn’t possible. Lloyd Blankfein, former chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, did this during the financial crisis by leaving voicemails daily for the firm. Everyone appreciated it and created loyalty, alignment, and focus. — Tami Rosen , Executive board and advisor to tech and finance companies . 8. KEEP YOUR TEAM FLAT AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL We keep our team flat and cross-functional. There are very few layers between me and anyone in the company, so information moves fast, context doesn’t get diluted on the way down, and conversations happen in the open. At my company, 80% to 90% of our communication runs through public Slack channels because if the information could help someone else, it belongs where they can find it. I also think leaders have to say, “I was wrong” or “I was right” out loud. Not because of ego, but because it closes the feedback loop on which instincts held up and which didn’t. — Minna Song , EliseAI 9. PURPOSE KEEPS ALIGNMENT For over a century, we’ve thrived by staying grounded in why we exist: to protect our customers, clients, and communities. Purpose keeps teams aligned when the ground shifts, because it clarifies what matters most. That clarity empowers people at every level to experiment, learn quickly, and act on what they learn. The teams that navigate uncertainty successfully aren’t always the best forecasters, but they’re the fastest and most adaptable learners. When people understand their purpose and have the confidence to take smart risks, alignment isn’t enforced. It’s something the culture creates. — Adam L’Italien , Liberty Mutual Insurance 10. FOCUS ON THREE THINGS I try to make sure the team understands three things: what matters most right now, what we are not going to prioritise, and what good looks like. Because we work as a curated creative collective, alignment is a crucial part of our ecosystem. We bring different strategists, creatives, producers, and makers together around each project. The role of leadership is to create a clear center of gravity. People do their best work when they understand the vision, the context, and the decision-making logic behind the work. — Virtyt Pula , TOML Collective 11. UNDERSTAND THE INTENT During uncertainty, alignment cannot depend on everyone following a detailed plan, because the plan may quickly become obsolete. It depends on people understanding the intent: What are we ultimately trying to achieve and why? When that is clear, teams can navigate disruption, adapt their decisions, and keep moving in the same direction without waiting for instructions at every step. That combination of shared purpose and adaptability is at the heart of our Manifesto for Enterprise Agility. — Pierre Le Manh , Project Management Institute 12. ALIGN TO THE MISSION The mission does the aligning. When markets get noisy, we go back to the same starting point: We’re helping over a million families protect what they’ve built. If a teammate can connect their week to that, we’re fine. If they can’t, we have a bigger problem than the market. In tough quarters we’ve cut a lot of priorities. In the moment it hurts, but it’s always worked out well for us. — Cody Barbo , Trust & Will 13. CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONNECTION To keep my team aligned during uncertainty, I create regular opportunities for connection and open communication, which is especially important in a remote environment. Each month, I host “coffee talks.” It’s an optional meeting where I come prepared with a topic to discuss and also leave time for employees to ask questions and share what’s on their minds. Giving people consistent space to be heard helps them feel informed, supported, and empowered. — Melissa Puls , Ivanti 14. MISSION, FACTS, MEASURABLE MILESTONE I keep teams aligned by returning to three things: the mission, the facts, and the next measurable milestone. In workforce and employment technology, regulations, economic conditions, and client needs can change rapidly. People do not need false certainty. They need clear priorities, candid communications, and support to own an idea. When everyone understands what has changed, what has not, and how success will be measured, the team can move forward with confidence. — Paul Toomey , Geographic Solutions 15. NAME THE UNKNOWNS OUT LOUD Start by naming the unknowns out loud. A team can’t focus on what it controls until it knows exactly what it doesn’t. Then put a clear plan in place with owners, dates, and next steps. Confidence comes from being able to see the actual work underway, not just from reassurance. Transparency is what makes that plan credible, since silence leaves a vacuum and a vacuum fills with speculation faster than it fills with facts. Optimism matters, too, but it only carries weight when it’s grounded in clarity and trust. — Patrick Frend , Delve 16. ENABLE TEAM MEMBERS TO FAIL FAST In the fast-moving web intelligence sector, where market and regulatory shifts are constant, alignment relies on context over instructions. Rather than directing teams on what to execute, I help everyone grasp the purpose behind decisions and how they support our long-term vision, so they can make sound calls even in my absence. Another important aspect of this “strategy” is enabling team members to fail fast. Uncertain situations are usually precisely that, uncertain. I believe that such situations rarely become 100% clear. So it is better to make a quick, decisive decision. In short, clear goals unite a team better than any rigid plan. — Denas Grybauskas , Oxylabs 17. STAY ANCHORED TO YOUR PURPOSE In a project-based business, uncertainty is not an exception. It is part of the operating environment. We stay anchored to our purpose and client commitments while allowing goals and tactics to evolve as conditions change. There is always a “closet to clean”—a process to improve, a capability to build, or preparation for the next surge. Course-correct early, ignore unproductive noise, and keep the team’s thinking focused on possibility rather than fear. — Susan Watts , SPACECRAFT 18. LEAD WITH HONESTY AND OVER-COMMUNICATE You should lead with honesty and over-communicate on purpose. People often fill the silence of uncertainty with personal thoughts and assumptions, which can consist of their own drawn-out conclusions. It’s okay to not have all the answers. The goal is to make sure nobody feels like they’re navigating the uncertainty alone. I’d rather tell my team, “Here’s what we know, here’s what we don’t,” than let the unknowns drive their fixed narratives. — Meredith Rosenberg , NU Advisory Partners 19. CONSULT YOUR TEAM AND EMPOWER THEM Team alignment is key in moments of uncertainty because people seek safety and clarity. We’re leading humans, not job titles. My approach is typically inclusive: I consult my team and empower them to shape decisions. But in a crisis, leadership requires discernment. Teams benefit from a leader who is clear-headed, confident, and bold. If you’ve built trust, they will follow your direction. For me, that means moving faster, making decisions that are mine to make, and sharing less when information could fuel anxiety. I explain why my leadership style is shifting and ask for their trust, creating a clear path forward together. — Edgar Villanueva , Decolonizing Wealth Project 20. COMMUNICATE REGULARLY When are we not in a time of uncertainty? The key to keeping your team aligned in the uncertain times we live in is to communicate regularly—even when you don’t have anything to report. Your team is looking to you, not only for guidance, but also for the opportunity to be heard and understood. If you’re not having regular conversations, you’re effectively shutting down these fundamental needs. Engage with your team, learn their concerns, and build trust. Communicating, even when next steps are unclear, is critical and puts everyone, together, on a pathway to discovery. — Mitch Smith , MG2 21. SIMPLIFY THE MISSION AND COMMUNICATE MORE During uncertainty, I simplify the mission and communicate more frequently. People do not need leaders to pretend they have every answer, but they do need clarity about what matters most right now. I make sure the team understands what has changed, what has not, and where we are focusing next. Alignment comes from consistency, especially when the environment is anything but consistent. — George Kailas , Prospero.ai 22. UNDERSTAND THE COMMON PURPOSE Teams remain cohesive during uncertainty when they are united by a clearly understood mission and common purpose, empowered to exercise sound judgment, and accountable for achieving the desired outcome. Leadership’s role is not to have every answer, but to build the capability, trust, and communication that allow the team to adapt to a changing path without losing sight of the objective. — Andrea Montecchi , Oliver Wight Americas 23. DEMYSTIFY UNCERTAINTY I keep my team aligned by demystifying uncertainty and continuously reminding them that volatility is standard, not an anomaly. Over our 20-year history, we have repeatedly navigated unpredictable landscapes by staying anchored in our proven track record of resilience. — Logan Mulvey , GoDigital Music 24. GET CLARITY ON THE PROBLEM Uncertainty creates an opportunity to bring teams closer together around a shared purpose. I’ve found that people don’t need every answer to make progress. They need clarity on the problem they’re solving and the outcome they’re working toward. Transparency and open communication build trust, and trust gives teams the confidence to keep moving forward as conditions change. — Dennis Anderson , ArcBest 25. FOCUS ON WHAT WE KNOW We know our desired outcomes. We know our products. And we know what we can influence. Keep focused on those elements and the noise of uncertainty will fade away. — Alexis Crowell , Axelera AI

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