When everything at work feels uncertain

I've seen more leadership shifts and reorganizations in the last two years than in my entire career. I don't think I'm alone.

The manager who knew you and your work ethic might be gone. The team dynamics you understood have shifted. And now it's easy to fall into uncertainty about where you stand.

Uncertainty is code for insecurity and fear. Both are natural. Both also bring out people's worst instincts.

I've watched the most pleasant coworkers turn argumentative, gossipy, immature when the ground shifts under them. It's human nature—when we feel exposed, we get defensive.

Here's what I've learned: staying sure of who you are in the middle of change is the only way to show up as your best self. It's harder when your champion is gone and you're not sure who has your back. But it's also when it matters most.

This is your reminder that you know who you are, even when everything else is in flux. You've done good work before. You'll do good work again. The chaos around you doesn't change that.

Don't let other people's insecurity make you forget what you bring to the table.