The Weight of Change: Leading with Care When Teams Are Exhausted

There are times when change feels clear. Even purposeful.

And then there are the times when it doesn’t.

When change becomes relentless, layered, prolonged, and unpredictable, it wears people down.
Not just physically, but emotionally, relationally, and morally.

I’ve been speaking to leaders who are navigating their second or third restructure.
The ground keeps shifting.
The budgets are shrinking.
And the communication, when it comes, often feels rushed or disjointed.

Many are holding space for others while silently absorbing their own grief, fatigue, and frustration.
Some are making the tough calls.
Others are delivering decisions they didn’t shape.
Many are navigating both, trying to steady the ship while being caught in the storm themselves.

They’re doing their best to lead clearly, while holding the emotional weight of a team that’s already stretched.
And often, they’re doing so without enough support or space to process their own experience.

If that’s you, I want you to know:
You’re not the only one carrying this.
And it makes sense if this season feels heavy.

💬 What I'm Noticing

In mission-driven organisations, many people join because they believe deeply in compassion, dignity, and care. That’s what drew me in too, and while uncertainty is a familiar part of work in humanitarian settings, the uncertainty during organisational restructures feels different. It strikes at identity, belonging, and the way we’re held internally.

When change is communicated in ways that feel rushed or distant, it can create a sense that care has been deprioritised and that’s when people start to question more than just the decisions. 

They start to question what the organisation stands for.
They wonder if the values apply internally, or only externally.
And in that uncertainty, trust begins to fray.

And here’s the hard part:

Some leaders have already tried to create space for honesty and care.
They’ve checked in, slowed down, invited vulnerability.
But when new waves of stress emerge, or more difficult news lands, those efforts can feel like they didn’t matter. Or worse, like they backfired.

That’s when doubt creeps in:

“What if this seems disingenuous now?”
“What’s the point of checking in if I can’t protect them from what’s coming?”
“Won’t they think I’m just going through the motions?”

Those are real questions.
And asking them means you care about leading with integrity.

So here’s the invitation:

You don’t need to perform.
You don’t need to have all the answers.
Sometimes leadership is just the quiet act of saying:

“I know this has been heavy. I care how you’re doing.”
“We can’t fix everything today, but we can stay connected.”

The sincerity is in the showing up, not the solution.

✏️ What You Can Try

Team Anchor Agreements: A Conversation About How We’ll Show Up Together

This 20–30 minute team exercise invites your group to co-create a short list of "how we want to show up for each other," especially in this period of ongoing change. It helps you name what matters, restore a sense of shared ground, and communicate care in action.

You can do this in person or virtually using a shared doc, or tools like Mural or Jamboard if your team prefers a more visual and interactive format.

Step 1: Set the frame

“We can’t control everything happening around us. But we can choose how we show up together in this moment. Let’s take 20 minutes to name what we want to protect or practice as a team in the weeks ahead.”

Step 2: Invite each person to reflect and share one response to:

• “What helps me feel supported in hard times?”

• “What do I want to offer the team, even when things feel uncertain?”

Step 3: Capture responses and co-create 3–5 ‘anchor behaviours’
Examples: “We speak with honesty and care.” “We protect time for recovery.” “We don’t assume what others are carrying.”

Step 4: Revisit it each week
Use these as living agreements. You can open or close team check-ins with one of them as a reminder.

This exercise shows your team that you’re still in it with them, even if the bigger picture is unclear. It builds trust through shared humanity, not perfect answers.

📥 This Week’s Reflection Journal Page

Theme: Leading When You’re Not in Control

This week’s journal page offers a space to slow down and gently explore:

• How you’re responding to pressure

• What’s helping or hindering your steadiness

• Where your values are guiding you right now

• And what small shift could help you lead with more lightness

Each prompt is designed to help you lead with clarity and care, even when the external situation feels messy or out of your hands.

📝 You can print, save, or reuse this page each week as a steady check-in.

👉 Download this week’s Leadership Reflection Journal Page
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🌱 A Final Thought

Leadership doesn’t mean carrying it all.
It means staying present in the moments that matter.
Sometimes that presence is enough.

Until next time,
Linda
Touching Distance | Within Reach