Leading During Tumultuous Times

It’s no secret: we are living (and working) in heavy, difficult times.

Global conflicts. Financial uncertainty. Political division. Health concerns. Family pressures. All of it contributes to a rising cloud of stress that doesn’t stay neatly outside the office door. This stress follows our teammates into work.

Even when the stressors aren’t caused by work, they absolutely affect how we approach our work, and in turn our outcomes. And when uncertainty and anxiety go up, oftentimes performance will go down.

But here’s the good news: leaders can help. We can’t solve every global issue, but we can create the kind of environment that gives people relief, stability, and clarity both for their own wellbeing and for the health of the business.

Stress Behaviors at Work: What to Look For

When stress piles up, it leaks into how people show up. You may not always hear “I’m overwhelmed,” but you’ll see signs in their behavior. Broadly speaking, these behaviors tend to fall into three buckets:

Withdrawing Under Stress

“If I don’t engage, maybe it won’t get worse.”

For some, stress triggers a retreat response. Rather than taking action, they may pull back emotionally or mentally in an effort to protect themselves from risk, conflict, or overwhelm. While often rooted in fear or uncertainty, this withdrawal can create ambiguity and slow down team momentum. You might notice behaviors like:

• Being risk-averse or slow to act. When the stakes feel high or unclear, some people hesitate to make decisions. They may delay, avoid committing, or continually seek more information before moving forward—often out of fear of making the wrong move.

• Becoming emotionally distant. Rather than engage openly, stressed teammates might appear quiet, withdrawn, or less emotionally available—especially during conversations that require vulnerability or collaboration.

• Displaying passive-aggressive behaviors. To avoid direct conflict, some may express frustration in indirect ways, such as procrastinating, resisting subtly, or voicing concerns through back channels instead of engaging in open dialogue.

Control-Seeking Under Stress

“If I take charge, I can keep things from falling apart.”

When some people face high stress, their instinct is to assert control—sometimes in ways that unintentionally create tension or derail collaboration. These responses often come from a desire to stabilize the chaos, but they can make things feel even more unpredictable for the team. You might observe behaviors like:

• Ignoring feedback. Under pressure, some people double down on their own ideas, becoming defensive or dismissive of input from others. Feedback feels like a threat rather than a tool for improvement.

• Acting impulsively. Anxiety can fuel quick decisions without full consideration of consequences. People may act suddenly, skip established processes, or change course frequently, sometimes creating more chaos in the process.

• Frequently sharing eccentric or erratic ideas. In a bid to solve complex problems or break free from stress, some may swing toward untested, high-risk, or unstructured ideas that feel exciting but lack feasibility or grounding in reality.

People Pleasing Under Stress

“If I keep everyone happy, things will feel safe again.”

Others respond to instability by striving to please, perform, or perfect their way back to solid ground. While these tendencies can appear helpful on the surface, they often come at a cost to the individual’s well-being and decision-making clarity. These patterns might show up as:

• Perfectionistic tendencies. When things feel unstable, some try to manage their anxiety by focusing on perfect execution. They may spend extra time double-checking details, revising their work repeatedly, or struggling to release projects that feel "unfinished."

• Over-accommodating. In an effort to keep the peace and avoid adding tension, these employees often say yes to every request. They may take on too much at once, exceed their own capacity, and quietly sacrifice their well-being to meet others' needs.

• Seeking frequent reassurance. When confidence wavers, some teammates look for ongoing affirmation. They may regularly check in to confirm they are on track, ask for feedback more often than usual, or express worry about whether their performance is meeting expectations.

None of these behaviors make someone a "bad employee." They’re coping strategies—some conscious, some not. And they’re signals that stress levels may be higher than they appear.

How Leaders Can Help

You can’t eliminate stress for your team—but you can shape the conditions they’re navigating. Even small leadership choices can lighten the load.

Here are a few ways to start:

Make room for the whole person. Support your team holistically, not just as professionals but as people. Check in about both workload and well-being, and model healthy boundaries by encouraging them to take time off.

Offer clarity. When everything feels uncertain, clarity is a stabilizer. Name what matters most, what can wait, and revisit priorities regularly as circumstances evolve.

Celebrate progress. Momentum builds when people know their work matters. Take time to acknowledge small wins and meaningful steps forward, and share appreciation often and intentionally.

We’ll dive deeper into each of these practical steps and share more strategies for reducing chronic team stress in next month’s article.

How BOxD Can Help

How are you helping your teams navigate these tumultuous times? Drop your ideas or stories in the comments, we’d love to learn from you!

And if you want help building practical leadership tools for your team, the BOxD team is here to help.