Leading Through Flux

This informal CPD article ‘Leading Through Flux’ was provided by Hanover Search Group, an organisation with deep functional knowledge of asset and wealth management, banking, fintech, healthcare & wellness, insurance, private equity, technology and professional services.

Change has always been part of organisational life. But today, it rarely arrives one initiative at a time. It comes layered, overlapping and relentless. New strategies, new systems and new expectations often land before the last change has fully settled. And while we talk a lot about managing change, we spend far less time acknowledging a simple truth: humans don’t naturally like uncertainty.

From an evolutionary perspective, ambiguity once signalled threat. When the environment changed unexpectedly, our nervous system moved into protection mode, heightened alertness, defensiveness, a focus on survival. Neuroscience tells us that uncertainty still triggers similar responses today, activating stress and threat circuits in the brain1.

The challenge today though is this: change is no longer episodic. It’s constant. So leaders must learn not just how to drive change but how to lead people through it.

The emotional curve of change

One of the most well-established ways to understand the human experience of change comes from research known as the ‘Transition Model’2. This highlights that while change is situational, transition is psychological.

People typically move through three emotional phases2:

  1. Endings – letting go of what was familiar
  2. The Neutral Zone – uncertainty, confusion, loss of clarity
  3. New Beginnings – renewed energy and commitment

Most resistance doesn’t come from the change itself, but from being left unsupported in the middle, the neutral zone, where identity, confidence and direction can wobble. Leaders who recognise this don’t rush people forward. They acknowledge what’s being left behind, normalise the discomfort, and help others make sense of what’s changing and what remains steady.

Three things that matter most

In times of flux, people don’t expect leaders to have all the answers. But they do typically look for three things.

  1. Clarity - Not certainty - an important distinction. People want honesty about what is known, what isn’t, and what will be communicated next. Clear narratives reduce anxiety and stop people filling the gaps with worst-case assumptions.
  2. Empathy - Change lands differently for different people. What feels exciting to one person may feel destabilising to another. Empathy builds trust by signalling that emotional responses are valid, not inconvenient.
  3. Micro-communication - During uncertainty, silence is rarely neutral. Short, regular check-ins, visible presence and repeated messages of intent help people stay oriented. Research shows that frequent, transparent communication strengthens trust during change3.

Staying grounded as a leader

Leaders are not immune to change fatigue. In fact, they often carry it quietly. There are three practices though that can often help leaders stay centred:

  • Name what’s constant. Values, purpose and core priorities provide psychological stability when structures are shifting.
  • Create pause. Reflection allows leaders to regulate their own nervous system before supporting others.
  • Share humanity. Calm, authentic leadership builds safety. People don’t need perfection, they need presence.

When leaders show up calm and present, it gives others permission to steady themselves too.

Helping teams navigate flux

Teams move through change best when leaders take time to make sense of it with them, not just roll it out to them. That means explaining why the change matters, not just what is changing. When people understand the purpose behind a shift, and how it will ultimately benefit them or the organisation, uncertainty becomes easier to tolerate.

It also means involving people in shaping the how. Change done with people lands very differently from change done to them. When individuals have a hand in shaping solutions, ownership and commitment rise.

Recognising effort matters too, not just outcomes. In periods of transition, much of the real work is conceptual, relational and invisible. Acknowledging that effort helps sustain energy when tangible results take time to appear.

Finally, leaders need to reinforce progress, even when the destination isn’t fully clear. Visible signs of movement prevent people assuming something has gone wrong or stalled. As further research on change highlights, maintaining momentum through clear purpose, frequent communication and visible progress is critical to successful transformation4.

So when the ground moves…

Leading through flux isn’t about eliminating uncertainty. It’s about creating enough safety, clarity and trust for people to move forward anyway.

The strongest leaders don’t steady the ground. They steady the people standing on it. And in a world where change is constant, this may be one of the most important leadership capabilities of all.

We hope this article was helpful. For more information from Hanover Search Group, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.

References

  1. Rock, D. (2008). SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. NeuroLeadership Journal, 1.
  2. Bridges, W. (2004). Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes. Da Capo Press.
  3. Edmondson, A. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.
  4. Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press.