# The Quiet Panic No One Talks About
Last month, I watched a senior team I work with go through their third leadership change in two years.
You know what struck me? The silence in meetings. Not the productive, thoughtful kind. The holding-your-breath kind.
Here’s what I’ve learned about that trust gap during transitions:
**People don’t fear change. They fear being forgotten.**
When a new leader comes in, senior teams aren’t worried about new strategies or shifted priorities. They’re wondering: *Does this person see me? Do they understand what I’ve built here? Am I starting from zero again?*
One director told me, “I’ve proven myself four times to four different bosses in three years. I’m exhausted.”
**What actually helps:**
The best transitions I’ve seen aren’t about town halls or 100-day plans. They’re about small moments—a new leader asking “what should I know that won’t be in any report?” and actually listening. Taking notes. Coming back to it later.
It’s remembering that your senior team has institutional memory you desperately need, and they have battle scars you can’t see.
**The trust gap closes when people feel like partners, not inherited furniture.**
If you’re leading through a transition right now—or supporting someone who is—start there. Not with your vision deck. With curiosity about theirs.
The strategy can wait a week. The relationships can’t.
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*What’s helped you navigate leadership changes? I’m always learning from how others handle these moments.*
#DigitalEthnicity #LeadershipTransitions #TrustBuilding #SeniorLeadership #WorkplaceCulture
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