When there’s talk about leadership changes, it’s essential to remain adaptable while still maintaining professionalism. Get the facts from reliable sources, and focus on your team’s morale by encouraging them to remain productive and grounded. Being flexible and showing resilience will help everyone handle the uncertainty together.

If this is something on the horizon, it is important to establish what every step of the process will look like. What will the replacement strategy be (refill, restructure, etc)? How will workflow change? Then examine that process through the eyes of your stakeholders. What will they experience during the change? What part of their work will be most affected? With sensitive matters such as personnel changes, I do think a mix of mediums is important. Of course, there will be some form of statement/email, but think about following up in your interpersonal channels like supervision conversations.

The first thing to say us that rumours are well just rumours. Even if they turn out to be true, these matters are beyond your control. You can only steady the ship, and lead with calmness and composure. You just need to honest with your team as they might want assurances. One would hope that any leadership changes and their impact are communicated quickly. Again, honesty is key, as your brand reputation is on the line. The more the rumours persist, the more unsettled the atmosphere, which will impact productivity and morale. Uncertainty is a part of our lives and jobs, we have to accept that. But in this leadership context, it shouldn't be allowed to fester.

Any rumours of leadership change are unsettling for the workforce. So how can one navigate the uncertainty? One of the strategies that I've used in the past cantered on highlighting that if one leader (let's say VP or CEO) might be moving on, there are other leaders (her/ his direct reports for example) who are staying and will offer continuity. I used various comms channels to amplify their voices. For example, I asked them to chair or speak during strategic events. I scripted, recorded and edited their videos on 'hot topics'. I ghost-wrote their blog posts etc. All these activities (and other, similar ones) had one goal: to help colleagues understand that 'the ship is stable'.