Brooke’s company was in the middle of a massive reorganization. Entire teams, full of smart, talented people, were being let go. Every hallway conversation carried tension. Slack channels went quiet. No one knew what the future looked like, and everyone was bracing for bad news. Brooke’s team felt it too. They were anxious, distracted, and spinning their wheels, starting projects, abandoning them halfway, unsure what actually mattered anymore.
So Brooke did what so many well-intentioned leaders do in moments of chaos: she tried to fix it with a plan.
She built spreadsheets, org charts, and detailed development plans for all twelve of her direct reports. She mapped out how they could become indispensable, how to prove their value and protect the team when the next round of cuts came.And when she finished, she called everyone into a one-hour meeting to share it all.
But instead of relief, she got blank stares. (Learn how YOU can avoid this in the YouTube video here!)
Some team members were teary-eyed. Others looked confused. Most were overwhelmed.
Sensing their uncertainty, Brooke did what any caring leader might do, she communicated more. She sent long emails explaining how all the pieces fit together. She brought up the plan in nearly every meeting. She wanted her team to feel informed, supported, and safe.
But the more she explained, the more anxious her team became.
Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com
The Hidden Danger of Too Much Transparency in Leadership
Here’s the hard truth: Brooke didn’t fail because she didn’t care. She failed because she cared too much in the wrong way.
She fell into one of the biggest communication traps leaders face during times of uncertainty over-transparency.
We praise leaders for being open and honest, but when we share everything, every change, every draft, every possible scenario, we can easily transfer our own anxiety onto the team. Instead of feeling reassured, people start feeling like something is wrong.
Because in times of change, information doesn’t equal clarity. (Transparency does not equal clarity. Get the clarity you need on YouTube)
What people crave most in uncertain times isn’t detail, it’s direction. They want to believe that someone is steering the ship, even if visibility is low.
How to Communicate Clearly During Organizational Change
Brooke’s mistake wasn’t communicating too much, it was communicating the wrong things.
Here’s what strong leadership communication looks like when everything feels unstable:
1. Start with your “Why”
Before saying a word, get clear on what matters most. What are you protecting? What’s the purpose behind your decisions? When you start with why, you anchor your message, and your people, to something solid.
2. Paint the vision — not the whole picture
When the road ahead is foggy, people don’t need a 100-point plan. They just need to know where you’re heading. Paint a picture of what success looks like six months from now. Give them something to move toward, not just something to survive.
3. Share only the next step
Think of leading through uncertainty like driving in the fog. You can’t see the whole road, but if you’re the lead car, you keep your taillights visible so others can follow. That’s your job as a leader, not to show every turn, just the next one.
That single next step is what helps your team feel grounded and capable. The rest can wait.
Leadership Communication That Builds Calm, Not Chaos
Well intentioned leaders like Brooke, maybe leaders like you, tend to over-correct when people are scared. You want to be transparent, supportive, and inclusive. You want to prove you have a plan. But sometimes, the more you share, the more noise you create.
True communication during change isn’t about giving more information. It’s about giving the right information, the kind that gives people confidence to act.
- So be transparent about your why.
- Be clear about your vision.
- And be disciplined about your next step.
That’s how you lead your team through uncertainty — not by handing them the entire map, but by keeping your taillights visible in the fog.
So yes, over-communicate. Just not on the details.