How to Lead Your Team When It Feels Like The Ground Is Shifting

Let’s not dance around it - when a founder, CEO, or major leader leaves, especially in a tight-knit product team, things get weird real fast.

I’ve been in the room when the email lands and Slack starts buzzing. The second-guessing. The awkward “we’re excited for the future” speeches. You look around and suddenly everything feels up for grabs: the roadmap, the unwritten rules, the very soul of the business. Then a new leader steps in, full of questions and energy, sometimes swinging a machete at all the old priorities.

It’s unsettling. And it’s absolutely normal.

I’ve seen this play out in SaaS shops and marketplace businesses from Boston to Boulder. Truth: Teams don’t care much for slogans or all-hands slides at times like this. They care about whether there’s real clarity on what matters - and whether leaders actually seem to care about the humans holding the business together.

Here’s what too many skip: leading through big change isn’t about “change management.” It’s about being real, listening hard, setting a true north, and balancing what the business needs with what your people actually need right now.

Clarity Isn’t Just Your Job - It’s Your Duty

People don’t need bulletproof plans. They need to know what’s true, what’s uncertain, and what you expect from them this week, not just this quarter. When the founder leaves, some folks feel relieved, others lost, some scared for their jobs. The fog is thick. Standing up in that moment and saying “Here’s what we know, here’s what we don’t yet, and here’s how we’ll decide” is more powerful than any big-swing vision deck.

One VP I coached in a ed-tech startup saw the room freeze up after a beloved cofounder left. She spent three days in back-to-backs looping in teams, getting their unscripted reactions, and then kicked off a simple standup ritual. Her rule: Be transparent about what’s set and what’s not. Invite questions. If you don’t have the answer, admit it and promise a timeline to find out. People don’t expect perfection - they crave honesty.

Don’t Just Push Goals - Check the Pulse Constantly

Here’s what founders and boards want: momentum. Direction. Progress. That’s fine. But the trap is thinking if you just press harder on OKRs, you’ll “power through.”

If you want the team on your side, you better pay attention to the tone in the room and the slack threads after the meeting ends. Change stirs up fear - what if all the stuff I built isn’t valued anymore? Will my team get gutted? Is my project suddenly toast? Pretending this isn’t happening is a surefire way to see key people check out (and check LinkedIn).

Just last quarter, I worked with a marketplace business whose CEO was stepping down. The new exec came in hot - slashing, rebuilding, and skipping the “people piece.” Three weeks later, half his best PMs were interviewing elsewhere. When he finally slowed down, acknowledged the stress, and worked with his leads to map exactly how each team would operate during the transition (what would stay, what wouldn’t, who had a say), panic slowed and trust crept back in.

What I Want Every Leader to Remember

You’re dealing with two currencies: business momentum and human energy. Let one drop and the other tanks with it. Leading through transition is being ruthlessly clear, sticking to your word, and always making space for how people feel - even the hard stuff. It’s checking in as much as you check off the plan.

Your teams are watching your eyes, not your slides. When you balance clarity about the mission with practical care for your people, you build real credibility. People roll with big changes when they trust you see them as more than gears in a machine.

So next time your world shifts - when founders step out and new leadership laces up - don’t reach for the playbook. Reach for your own clarity and compassion. You’ll keep your best people, and your business will thank you for it.

Ready for real momentum? Start by getting honest, not just organized.