THIS Leader Podcast Â
79. Leading in Turbulent Times
August 11, 2026
Something's shifting for your team right now — maybe it’s budget cuts, or a reorg, or a client crisis, or just a stretch where things feel unsteady. And you can feel the difference between the leader you want to be in that moment and the one who actually shows up when the pressure hits: reactive, terse, changing direction depending on how the morning went.
Here's the thing — you don't get to choose whether hard times come. You only get to choose how you show up when they do. In this episode, I borrow an unlikely teacher: pilots, and what they do when a flight hits rough air. It turns out the worst thing they can do is fight it. What they're trained to do instead comes down to three moves — and none of them require you to have it all figured out. Just steady hands, a big perspective, and a clear next step.
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The symptom you notice in a hard season usually isn't the actual problem. It shows up as a solid decision being reversed, unexplained tension between you and a direct report, a team that seems anxious or distracted. But underneath most of that is something simpler: your team can feel your emotional state before they hear your words.
In this episode, I borrow a metaphor from aviation. And while I don't know the first thing about flying a plane, it turns out that what pilots do in turbulence, is a great model. Turbulence isn't a sign something's wrong with the plane. It's just weather. And the crew isn't up there wrestling the controls when it hits — they're trained to NOT overcorrect, but stay steady.
We discuss three moves for leading through your own hard season. First, steady yourself— because if your stress is running the show, nothing else you do will land. Second, climb to the balcony — get above the day-to-day. Third, chart the workable path — not a three-year plan, just the next right step.
None of these moves requires you to be unshakeable. They require you to stop overcorrecting and start being consistent — because it's rarely the hard days themselves that break a team's trust. It's the leader who flies off the handle, and adds to the stress.
"You don't get to choose whether hard times come. You DO get to choose how you show up."
79: Leading in Turbulent Times
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About your Host
Claire Laughlin, MA, Organizational Development Consultant
Hi! I'm Claire Laughlin, and I love helping leaders like you create workplaces where people truly thrive.
For over two decades, I've been rolling up my sleeves alongside teams and organizations, using hands-on methods that actually work (because let's face it - theory only gets you so far!).Â
I specialize in teaching leaders how to engage their teams, helping managers become more effective facilitators, and showing people how to work better together.
I'm also a master facilitator for the Six Types of Working Genius® - a fantastic tool that helps you understand and leverage your natural talents.
When I'm not helping leaders like you build happy, high-energy workplaces, I'm enjoying a hike in the forest with my dog Fiona, spending time with my family or curled up with a great book.
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78. How to Handle Conflict at Work with Maryse Postlewaite
Not every conflict announces itself. Sometimes it's a colleague who has quietly started leaving you off the emails and meeting invites you should obviously be on. Sometimes it's a boss who makes a call you can see is headed for failure, and brushes you off when you try to raise it.
In this episode I put two of those real, listener-submitted situations to Maryse Postlewaite, who has spent more than forty-five years helping people navigate conflict with heart. We get into why it can be hard to be direct, how to assume the best without being naĂŻve, the difference between venting, gossiping, and actually solving a problem, and a simple, human way to open a hard conversation so the other person leans in instead of getting defensive. Practical, warm, and full of language you can borrow the next time something simply doesn't feel right.
77. Revenue is Shrinking. Now What?
Many organizations are contracting right now — funding is thinning, costs are climbing, AI is reshaping jobs at every level, and 55% of employed Americans say they're worried about losing their jobs.
Whether or not your organization is considering the need to downsize, that anxiety may already be in the room with you.
In this episode, I get into what these kinds of contraction cycles can do to your people's brains, and how ethical leaders are dealing with it.
I share why every one of David Rock's five SCARF threat categories fires during a downturn, why fear shows up looking like disengagement in one person and combativeness in another, and four specific moves for leading through contraction in ways that are more likely to keep your culture — and your people's trust — still intact on the other side.
