Shift Happens: How to Lead When the Ground Is Always Moving
If you’re waiting for things to “settle down” before you lead with confidence, I have some news for you.
They’re not going to.
The last few years have made one thing painfully clear: stability is no longer the default.
Change is.
And for leaders, especially HR professionals and people leaders, that can feel exhausting.
Just when you get your footing, something shifts.
A reorg.
A new technology.
A policy change.
A leadership transition.
A personal life curveball layered on top of all of it.
The ground keeps moving. And yet, you’re still expected to lead.
This is where a lot of leaders get stuck. They keep waiting for solid ground, when the real skill is learning how to lead on moving terrain.
Because shift happens. And it’s not slowing down.
The Old Leadership Model Is Breaking
For a long time, leadership was built on predictability.
Plans.
Roadmaps.
Clear timelines.
Linear growth.
If you followed the plan, things worked.
But today’s world doesn’t reward rigid leadership. It rewards adaptive leadership. The kind that can respond in real time, make decisions with incomplete information, and hold people steady even when answers are still forming.
The leaders who struggle the most right now are not bad leaders. They’re leaders trying to use outdated tools in a new reality.
You cannot lead constant change with a fixed mindset.
What It Really Feels Like to Lead in Constant Shift
Let’s be honest about what this season feels like.
It feels like making decisions without perfect data.
It feels like supporting employees through uncertainty while managing your own.
It feels like being the calm voice in the room when you are also asking hard questions behind the scenes.
It feels like carrying emotional weight that no one sees.
Especially in HR, you’re often the bridge between strategy and humanity.
You translate change.
You absorb reaction.
You manage impact.
That’s not weakness. That’s leadership.
But it requires a different approach.
How to Lead When the Ground Keeps Moving
Leading through constant change is about building steadiness in the middle of uncertainty.
Here’s what actually works.
1. Anchor in Values, Not Certainty
When everything is shifting, values become your foundation.
You may not know exactly how a change will land, but you can be clear about how you will show up.
Integrity. Transparency. Respect. Humanity.
When people trust their values, they will tolerate uncertainty. When they don’t, even small changes feel destabilizing.
Ask yourself often:
What do I stand for in this moment?
What matters most right now?
That clarity creates trust.
2. Name the Uncertainty Instead of Avoiding It
People don’t need you to have all the answers. They need you to be honest about what’s still unfolding.
Silence creates anxiety.
Overconfidence creates distrust.
Honesty creates stability.
Say what you know.
Say what you don’t know.
Say when you’ll know more.
That is leadership in motion.
3. Focus on What You Can Stabilize
You may not control the change, but you can control the experience around it.
You can stabilize communication.
You can stabilize routines.
You can stabilize expectations.
You can stabilize how people are treated.
In times of shift, small consistencies matter more than big promises.
4. Build Adaptability Into Your Team
The goal is not to eliminate change. The goal is to help people navigate it.
This means:
Encouraging learning over perfection.
Normalizing iteration.
Rewarding curiosity.
Making it safe to ask questions and adjust.
When adaptability becomes part of the culture, change feels less threatening and more manageable.
5. Take Care of the One Holding It Together
This one matters.
If you’re the person holding everyone else steady, you need support too. You cannot lead through constant shift if you are running on empty.
Boundaries are not optional.
Rest is not a luxury.
Support is not a weakness.
Leaders who last are leaders who know when to refuel.
Why This Is the Moment for HR and People Leaders
This era was made for HR to step forward, not shrink back.
Not as policy enforcers.
Not as damage control.
But as translators, connectors, and culture shapers.
You are uniquely positioned to help organizations navigate the human side of change. To bring clarity where there is confusion. To create connection where there is fear.
That is not soft work. That is strategic work.
The Truth About Leading Through Shift
You don’t need perfectly still ground to lead well.
You need presence.
You need values.
You need the willingness to move with the moment instead of fighting it.
Shift happens.
Leadership happens anyway.
And if you’re leading while things are still unfolding, while answers are still forming, while the ground is still moving, you’re not doing it wrong.
You’re doing it now.
And that’s what this moment requires.
I see you.
Until we meet,
Elina
