Creating a Sense of Stability
How to help your team stay calm when things feel rocky
👋 Howdy! Claire here, Founder & CEO of Canopy. Welcome to my weekly newsletter on leadership. If you’ve been enjoying my writing recently here, do please make sure you’re subscribed so you can receive a fresh piece each week, and consider sharing with a friend or colleague who you think might enjoy as well…
Buried in a box at my mom's house, I recently came across my collection of school yearbooks — each from a different state. Growing up, I moved around quite a bit: Georgia to Washington state, Ohio to Minnesota, and then to Chicago for college.
Each move represented a complete reset of my world. New faces, new rules, new geography. In retrospect, this constant change proved valuable for my development. But in the moment? It was disorienting to my core.
I still recall the stomach-dropping sensation of walking into yet another new cafeteria, lunch tray in white-knuckled hands, scanning for a friendly face among strangers. That feeling of the ground shifting beneath me as my entire universe transformed…again.
This visceral memory informs how I empathize with what happens when our teams face significant change. The physical manifestations are remarkably similar: Quickened pulse, scattered focus, the undercurrent of nagging questions. What will change next? Am I safe here? Do I still belong?
If your team has recently weathered significant change, they're likely experiencing this same internal turbulence. Their professional identity — the story they've been telling themselves about their work — has been disrupted.
The good news? You can create islands of stability amid these choppy waters. As someone who's both experienced and led through significant change — as well as worked with thousands of leaders in high-growth organizations — I've discovered four specific approaches that help teams regain their footing when everything feels suddenly uncertain.
#1: Predictability
When the ground shifts beneath us, we instinctively search for patterns and consistency. As humans, we naturally crave a sense of predictability — an understanding of what's coming next. However, as Howard H. Stevenson and Mihnea Moldoveanu wisely noted, "The need for predictability is not a need for guarantees." We seek the reassurance of knowing there's solid ground ahead, even if we can't see the entire path.
Perhaps this explains our love of games and sports. The outcome isn't guaranteed, but the rules are predictable and constant. This allows us to calculate probabilities and act accordingly.
Similarly, when significant organizational change happens, we don't expect guaranteed outcomes, but we do want the potential paths forward to feel clear and understandable. Predictable.
To establish predictability during change, take these deliberate actions:
Create a communication cadence
Weekly check-ins with a consistent format.
Monthly updates that happen regardless of news volume.
Clear expectations about when and how information will flow.
Example: After a reorganization
"In light of the restructuring, I'll host a weekly Friday meeting at 10am to discuss our team's current state and address any concerns that have emerged during the week. You'll always leave knowing what to expect for the coming week."
Do scenario planning and share potential paths
Best and worst case scenarios with realistic probabilities.
Conservative, moderate, and optimistic projections with timelines.
Emphasis on what remains unchanged despite the broader shifts.
Example: After team downsizing
"As our team just went through a significant reduction, I know things feel uncertain. Let's talk through all possible paths forward. Here's what remains stable, here are the variables, and here are the decision points we'll encounter in the next three months."
While predictability provides the framework, clarity fills in the details — preventing people from sketching their own troubling scenarios in the blank spaces. I'll talk about this next.
#2: Clarity
I'll never forget advising a team experiencing organizational change. One direct report confided in me, "I'm really worried they're going to let a bunch of people go. They haven't said it, but I can just tell."
That last sentence is revealing: This person's fear and anxiety didn't stem from anything the company or leaders had said. It was the absence of clear communication that led them to suspect the worst.
When things are unclear, we tend to assume the worst. Confusion breeds frustration. Therefore, it's crucial to be as specific as possible when sharing your current reality. Otherwise, people fill in the blanks with alternative realities that are often far worse than the actual situation.
Here's how to create clarity that fosters stability:
Explain the "why" specifically
Elaborate on how a company-wide change affects your team directly.
Don't assume implications for your team are obvious to your team members.
Example: After a strategic shift
"I know you attended the meeting where our new strategic direction was discussed, but I want to explain specifically how this impacts our team and why."
Make next steps explicit
Don't just discuss long-term ramifications. Address immediate steps.
Be concrete about what happens next.
Example: After downsizing
"With our smaller team, our goals will need to change. I've been thinking through our priorities, and I want you to do the same. Then in our next team meeting..."
Keep it simple
Avoid vague phrases like "things are evolving" or "trust the process."
Use clear, simple language about what's actually happening.
Example: When cutting previously important projects
"The company is focusing purely on growth. This means we're prioritizing projects that directly impact current revenue."
#3: Control
Much of why we humans dislike change is because it makes us feel out of control. As leaders, we can create stability by finding ways to give some control back to our teams.
While we may not be able to control the change itself, we can often influence how that change unfolds:
Give options where possible
Identify areas where choice is still available.
This might be in the form of meeting duration, frequency of updates, etc.
Example: After a reduction in force
"Given the weight of these changes, should we adjust the frequency or length of our standing meetings? I want to give you space and flexibility to process this change."
Offer autonomy to shape their environment
Allow team members to influence how work gets done.
This might be in the form of communication, preferences, workflow, preferences, etc.
Example: After a shift in priorities
"As we navigate this change, how might we adjust our meetings or status updates to better serve our new focus?"
Invite contribution to the path forward
Ask for input, perspectives, and ideas.
Give team members agency in determining next steps.
Example: After a reorganization
"I'd like you to spend the next week thinking about what you see as the best path forward."
#4: Care
Through it all, we of course care about our teams. However, during times of significant change, it's not enough to say we care — we need to show it through our actions.
Here's how to demonstrate authentic care:
Take accountability
Acknowledge your role, especially in communication gaps.
This is your this is your opportunity to show where you wish you would have been a better leader in certain moments.
Example: When priorities change unexpectedly
"Here's the role I played in this not being communicated well. This is on me..."
Give grace and space for reactions
Recognize that people will process change differently.
Normalize taking some time to process.
Example: After layoffs
"I want to make sure you have time and space to process this..."
Remember, this isn't all about you
Focus on supporting your team, not just grinding through.
Consider processing with peers, rather than adding to your team's burden and doing your own live processing with them.
Make yourself genuinely available.
Example: During any significant change
"Please let me know how I can best support you during this time..."
What about YOU?
As you work to create stability for your team, don't forget to create it for yourself as well. Slow down. Create space. Give yourself time to prepare thoughtful responses and establish supportive systems based on these four principles — predictability, clarity, control, and care.
Your level of anxiety, stress, and panic sets the tone for your team. This isn't about putting on a false front or pretending to feel fine about difficult changes. Rather, it means ensuring you've lightened your own load before attempting to lighten others'.
Change will always be part of our organizational lives. But by intentionally creating stability through these four approaches, we can help our teams navigate even the rockiest waters with greater confidence and resilience.
-Claire
P.S. Because you read this far, my gift to you is a photo of kindergarten Claire from my very first yearbook… 🥹 The nostalgia of going through old yearbooks gets me every time!
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Looking for some help in navigating change in your team? Here are ways you can directly work directly with me, Claire, CEO of Canopy:
📣 Invite me to deliver team keynotes and workshops, remotely or in person on “Leading Through Change” or “Navigating Org Change.”
🌿 Use Canopy, our lightweight leadership learning app, in your day-to-day, and dive in specifically into our module on high-growth teams.
🚂 Partner with me to roll-out a leadership training program for your managers to equip them with tools for managing growth and change.
🤝 Explore 1:1 executive coaching with me personally to work through how you best can navigate change as a leader. (I’ve had a few spots open up for 2025 — I’ve had the privilege of coaching leaders at companies like Apple and Uber, and welcome the opportunity to share those learnings in-depth with folks one-on-one.)
I’d be honored to chat and see what might be the best fit for you. Feel free to reach out to me directly here 💚