Trust-Based Leadership: How to Steady Your Team in Uncertain Times

Just Another Day—Sort Of

Think about the last time you raced through an airport, hurrying to catch your flight. You’re not imagining a potential disaster—you’re just hoping for a seatmate who respects personal space.

Now, imagine being mid-flight, cruising along, when suddenly, there’s a loud explosion. The plane lurches violently. Oxygen masks drop. What would you do? Grab your phone and frantically text your loved ones, just in case, right?

That’s exactly what happened to the passengers on a Southwest Flight in April 2018. One moment, everything was normal. The next, chaos.

Twenty minutes after takeoff, Flight 1380 from New York to Dallas suffered catastrophic engine failure. A fan blade in the left engine broke off, causing parts of the engine to detach. Shrapnel struck the side of the plane, breaking a window and causing rapid decompression inside the cabin. A passenger sitting next to the window was pulled partway out by the force of the rushing air. Other passengers and crew members managed to pull her back inside, but tragically, she later died from blunt impact trauma.

Panic spread. People scrambled for their oxygen masks, some desperately texting their families goodbye.

But in the cockpit, Captain Tammie Jo Shults took control.

In a moment of absolute terror, her voice cut through the fear. She made a split-second decision to instill confidence in the passengers by uttering ten of the sweetest words they’d probably ever heard:

“We are not going down. We are going to Philadelphia.”

And she didn’t just say it—she backed it up with action. She expertly landed that damaged aircraft, saving every other life on board.

But I’m Not a Pilot!

Okay, I get it—you’re probably not in the cockpit of a plane with people’s lives literally at stake. But as a leader, you do have a direct impact on people’s livelihoods.

Your words can either create trust or fuel anxiety.
Your actions can either steady the team or send them into survival mode.

Like Tammie Jo, as a leader, you have more visibility than your team. You see the bigger picture, you know what’s happening behind closed doors, and you’re making decisions before they feel the impact.

Your team is looking at you, wondering: Can I trust her? Am I safe here?

The Silent Anxiety of Feeling Replaceable

Take Tanya, for example. She had been working for a consulting firm for over 20 years and had always loved her work. But during our last brunch, she seemed… off.

“How’s work?” I asked.

She sighed. “I’m actually not sure.”

Tanya, usually upbeat and driven, looked tired—emotionally more than physically. She said she felt like her work didn’t matter anymore, like she was waiting to be deemed unnecessary.

Her company had just sold a division, and leadership had gone silent. No direction. No clarity. Just a lingering sense of unease.

I felt her pain. At my last company, something similar had happened. Half the leadership team left, new execs arrived, and layoffs began. A long-standing HR partner of mine was abruptly dismissed. The reason? “The role is no longer necessary.”

Then came the corporate jargon: “These changes will make us stronger than ever.”

No one believed it.

We weren’t just losing colleagues—we were losing trust.

Your People Are Watching You

Within any organization, change is inevitable. But during these moments, the best leaders don’t hide behind corporate speak. They take ownership, steady the team, and create an environment where people feel secure—even when times are uncertain.

Leaders need to provide ‘air cover’ for their teams.
When times are tough, people look to their leader for protection. If they believe their leader has their back, they will rise to the occasion—even when things feel impossible.

In times of uncertainty, people crave transparency.
They don’t need a sugar-coated message—they need clarity and honesty.

Stop "Glossing"

Glossing? It’s when leaders try to downplay challenges, offering vague reassurances instead of addressing concerns head-on. It’s a trust killer.

Your team doesn’t want to hear, “We’re in a great place!” when people are quietly being let go. They don’t want corporate buzzwords—they want to know where they stand.

Instead of glossing, say:
“I know there’s uncertainty right now. Here’s what I can tell you, and here’s what I don’t know yet. I’ll update you as soon as I can.”

That’s the kind of transparency people want.

So Here’s Why You Can’t Sleep…

Or at least why being a leader can feel exhausting.

We absorb our team’s stress, anticipate their fears… even when we’re drowning in it ourselves.
We want to influence decisions, but sometimes, things are out of our control. We hesitate to deliver bad news—not because we don’t care, but because we’re still processing it ourselves.

And in the quiet moments—when the emails stop but the overthinking starts—we wonder:

Am I doing enough? Am I leading the right way?

What Strong Leaders Do in Uncertain Times

Here’s the truth: The best leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones who steady the team, even when things feel shaky. They create trust, even when uncertainty is the only certainty.

And that’s something you can do.

If you want to build trust with your team, start small:

• Be transparent—People don’t expect you to have all the answers, but they do expect honesty.

• Address uncertainty head-on—Don’t gloss over the tough conversations. Ignoring the obvious only makes people more anxious.

• Communicate with clarity—Say what you mean and mean what you say. Your words hold weight.

A safe, trusting environment isn’t built overnight. But your consistency, your follow-through, and the way you show up when it matters most will define the kind of leader you are.

How you lead in uncertainty isn’t just leadership—it’s your legacy.