09-11-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

25 leaders on keeping teams aligned during uncertainty

How clarity, communication, and purpose help teams keep moving.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

BY Fast Company Impact Council

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

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.

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........

© Fast Company