When market turbulence and unpredictable conditions threaten to pull teams off course, the strategies leaders use to maintain alignment can determine whether an organization stays focused or drifts. Twenty-five members of the Fast Company Impact Council recently shared their go-to approaches for steering teams through uncertainty, offering a range of practical tactics that emphasize communication, clarity, and trust.
Several leaders stressed that honesty and overcommunication are essential. Ed Mitzen of the Business For Good Foundation advises sharing the uncertainty openly and showing teams that navigating choppy waters is part of business. «Over communication is better than the opposite,» he said, noting that people want to feel in the know when things feel unsettled. Tami Rosen, an executive board advisor to tech and finance companies, echoed that sentiment, pointing to former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who left daily voicemails for the firm during the financial crisis. That consistency, she said, created loyalty, alignment, and focus. Chris K Bailey of Bailey Brand Consulting added that transparency builds trust and reduces uncertainty, especially when leaders admit they do not have all the answers and invite employees to contribute solutions.
Others emphasized the importance of a clear mission and defined values. Phillip Haid of Public Inc. described a public code built on purpose, values, and behaviors that guides decision-making through daily, weekly, and monthly rituals. «It guides everything we do, especially in uncertain times,» he said. Nora LaTorre of Eat Real explained how her organization's core value — «leave room for magic» — helped them exceed a goal of reaching one million kids in 2025, even as schools and foodservice teams faced real uncertainty. Because the team was aligned on mission and purpose, they had the autonomy to adapt as circumstances shifted. Adam L'Italien of Liberty Mutual Insurance noted that purpose keeps teams aligned when the ground shifts, empowering people at every level to experiment and learn quickly. «The teams that navigate uncertainty successfully aren't always the best forecasters, but they're the fastest and most adaptable learners,» he said.
Clarity about what can be controlled was another recurring theme. Maril Gagen MacDonald of Gagen MacDonald compared it to driving through fog: «You don't need to see the entire road ahead. You just need to focus on the stretch right in front of you for now.» She said her role is not to be the hero with all the answers but to guide teams toward clarity on what they can control while acknowledging what they cannot. Lindsey Witmer Collins of WLCM App Studio takes a different tack, maintaining a purely positive attitude by recalling past successes and focusing on what is going right. She keeps her core team close, provides an on-staff coach for mental well-being, and absorbs financial hits herself to keep her team financially secure.
Structural choices also play a role. Minna Song of EliseAI keeps her team flat and cross-functional, with few layers between her and anyone else, so information moves fast and context does not get diluted. At her company, 80% to 90% of communication runs through public Slack channels. She also believes leaders must openly say «I was wrong» or «I was right» to close the feedback loop on which instincts held up. Together, these leaders' approaches suggest that alignment during uncertainty is less about having a perfect forecast and more about fostering trust, purpose, and adaptability at every level of an organization.