Staying Visible and Transparent During Stressful Transitions and Uncertainty
Navigating Change & Uncertainty at Work: Stress, Leadership Calm, and Strategic Visibility
Host Brittany Canaski interviews Leadership Visibility and Influence Expert Susan Barber about managing stress during workplace change and uncertainty. Sue shares how feedback that she wasn’t “visible enough” in corporate led her to focus oncommunicating value without bragging, and how leaders must strategically show impact, not just list tasks completed. Drawing on her experience during major organizational transitions at Kraft/Kraft Heinz, she discusses common stressors and encourages focusing on what you can control, stepping up during chaos, and seeking peer support.
Key takeaways:
✅ Work stressors such as acquisitions, layoffs, increased workloads, and fears around AI are causing more and more stress on teams and leaders.
✅ For leaders, Sue emphasizes trust, transparency about what can and can’t be shared, and consistent support for teams.
✅ Sue also recommends quiet time, journaling, and meditation, and introduces her VALUE framework for intentional visibility.
Resources mentioned:
* Four phases we go through during change: https://www.hellovelocity.co/blog/adaptability-is-a-necessary-skill-for-leaders-to-handle-change [https://www.hellovelocity.co/blog/adaptability-is-a-necessary-skill-for-leaders-to-handle-change]
* The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: https://juliacameronlive.com/books-by-julia/ [https://juliacameronlive.com/books-by-julia/]
* Calm app for meditation https://www.calm.com/ [https://www.calm.com/]
* Headspace app for meditation https://www.headspace.com/ [https://www.headspace.com/]
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⏱️ What we covered in this video:
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:07 Why Visibility Matters
03:40 Leading Your Team
04:36 Leaving Corporate to Coach
07:24 Building Credibility Solo
08:48 Change Uncertainty at Work
11:29 Stress Responses and Control
15:14 Leading Through Change
16:57 Trust Transparency Reassurance
20:48 Leader Support Systems
22:36 Peer Support Circle
24:20 Calming Stress Rituals
27:36 Transparency After Firings
33:05 Visibility That Matters
37:29 Value Framework
40:19 Wrap Up And Links
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👋 Connect with Susan:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanbarbercoaching/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanbarbercoaching/]
* Website: https://susanmbarber.com [https://susanmbarber.com/] (you can sign up for her weekly newsletter, learn more about her books, podcast and the services she offers)
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Subscribe to the Hello Velocity Newsletter: https://www.hellovelocity.co/newsletter [https://www.hellovelocity.co/newsletter]
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🙋🏻♀️ About the host, Brittany Canaski
Brittany Canaski is a highly-rated leadership coach and trainer who helps leaders build the skills and confidence they need to be their best.
Within her own business, Hello Velocity [https://www.hellovelocity.co/], Brittany provides coaching, trainings, and events to help teams and individualsbetter understand their performance habits so that they can work smarter, not harder to get where they want to be. Some of her favorite leadership topics are strategic planning, prioritization, and accountability.
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👋 Connect with Brittany:
* Instagram - @HelloVelocityCo
* LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-canaski/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-canaski/]
* Website - https://www.hellovelocity.co/ [https://www.hellovelocity.co/]
* YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@hellovelocityco [https://www.youtube.com/@hellovelocityco]