If it feels like the ground is shifting under your feet lately, you’re not imagining it. Nonprofits, campuses, community groups, and local governments are all navigating heightened conflict, tighter budgets, increased public pressure, and communities stretched thin. Leaders at every level — from student advisors to executive directors to frontline supervisors — are carrying more than ever.

But here’s the truth that often gets lost in the chaos:
Stability isn’t the absence of change. Stability is what we build when things are changing.

And in moments like this, leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions where your team, your campus, or your community can find footing again.

Here are a few ways you can lead with clarity and care, even when everything feels unpredictable.

1. Communicate early, even when the update is “We’re still figuring it out.”

One of the fastest ways to generate anxiety on a team is silence. Not because people lack information — but because they fill the silence with fear.

When you’re navigating a transition or uncertainty:

• Give small, frequent updates.

• Share what you do know.

• Name what you don’t know yet.

• Explain when people can expect the next update.

This builds psychological safety. It shows your people they aren’t being left in the dark, even when the path forward isn’t fully clear yet.

Consistency is a form of care.

2. Reduce ambiguity wherever possible

People can weather a lot of change when they know what is expected of them.
But vague roles, unclear priorities, and shifting boundaries create instability.

Try this simple stability-building exercise:

• Re-state each person’s top 2–3 priorities

• Clarify what “done” looks like

• Reconfirm communication loops

• Ask: “What would help you feel more anchored this month?”

Small clarifications create big stability.

3. Make space for emotion without letting emotion drive the ship

Uncertainty activates people’s survival systems. They may show it through anxiety, irritability, shutdown, defensiveness, or overperforming.

Create containers, not chaos:

• Acknowledge the emotional landscape

• Offer grounding tools or breaks

• Normalize that this is a stressful moment

• Keep decisions tethered to values and reality, not reactivity

Your team doesn’t need you to be emotionless — they need you to model regulated presence.

4. Empower others with micro-moments of agency

When everything feels out of control, giving people small choices helps restore a sense of power.

Examples:

• “Would you prefer weekly check-ins or biweekly?”

• “Do you want to take the lead on this part, or should I?”

• “What’s one thing that would make your workload feel more manageable this week?”

Micro-agency lowers overwhelm and increases alignment.

5. Name the values guiding your decisions

In progressive, community-centered work, values matter deeply — especially when resources are tight or conflict is high.

When you say, “We’re prioritizing safety, dignity, and transparency in this next phase,” people understand the why behind choices, even if they’re difficult.

Values are the anchor.
Actions are the expression.

6. Don’t confuse urgency with importance

Many organizations are stuck in “emergency mode,” even when no actual emergency exists.
Break the cycle by asking:

• What needs immediate action?

• What can wait?

• What do we need to stop doing altogether?

• What are we only doing because of pressure or habit?

Slowing down strategically creates real momentum — not burnout disguised as productivity.

7. Take care of the container (you are the container)

This doesn’t mean “self-care as an individual solution to systemic problems.”
It means recognizing that you can’t create stability for others if your own nervous system is fried.

Ask yourself:

• Where do I need support?

• What can I delegate?

• What boundary am I protecting?

• Who can help me hold the work?

Rest is leadership.
Support is leadership.
Boundaries are leadership.

The bottom line: Stability is built in small, intentional moves.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You don’t even have to feel confident all the time.

You just have to be willing to create clarity, hold space, and make value-aligned decisions — even when path forward is still emerging.

In uncertain times, leadership isn’t about being the hero.
It’s about being the anchor.