You ever get on a roller coaster and immediately regret it as it starts to climb, but it's too late. You're locked in and here comes the drop. That's what leading through change can feel like. Buckle up, welcome to message 288 of the Growth Instigators Hotline, where we ignite your personal and professional development. I'm Aaron Havens, your host and growth coach.

Let's dive into today's insight Winning Leadership Wednesday leading through change and uncertainty. Leading through change isn't about pretending everything's fine. It's about guiding people through the fog even when you're not 100% sure what's on the other side. Change freaks people out. It creates tension, rumors, insecurity, and that's before anyone even knows what's really happening. But strong leaders, they lean in, they get it.

In one of my all-time favorite books, leading Change, by John Cotter, he says this management is about coping with complexity and leadership is about coping with change. And if we know anything, most people don't like change. Leadership at the core is about change taking others organizations tomorrow, into places unknown climates, unknown conditions, unknown variables, unknown. Here's a secret, though People can handle change better than they think, as long as they trust the person leading them. Uncertainty isn't the enemy. Lack of communication is. Confidence doesn't mean knowing all the answers. It means being real, showing up consistently and saying we will figure this out together. Your job as a leader isn't to eliminate uncertainty. Your job is to lead through it, to show people what's still true, still stable and still worth fighting for. So if you're in the middle of a change or leading others through one, remember this be the calm, be the clarity and be the constant.

Thank you for calling Growth Instigators Hotline. Do you like these calls? Like for real? Let me know. I'd like to hear if we are hitting the target. Speaking into the unknown is lonely. I'd love to hear from you. Leave a message after the beep or send an email to Aaron at growthinstigatorscom and let me know when is a time you had to lead through change and what helped you stay steady for the people counting on you and if your team is navigating big changes right now. This is what I do. I help leaders and teams find clarity and confidence when things feel uncertain. Visit growthinstigatorscom and let's set up a phone call. I'd love to hear where you're at and know how I can help you get where you'd like to be. As always, keep instigating growth in all you do.