How to Lead a Finance Team Through Uncertainty

Because leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about showing up when it matters most.

In times of calm, leadership can be strategic, deliberate, even visionary. But when the ground shifts - when restructures land, acquisitions hit the headlines, or strategies pivot overnight - that’s when real leadership shows up. And your team is watching.

Finance professionals (especially those in FP&A), are often the go-to for clarity in a business. We translate complexity into decisions. But when the uncertainty is hitting us too, leadership takes on a different tone. Not one of perfect answers, but of presence, confidence, and calm.

When the News Hits You Too

I’ll never forget the moment I found out our company had been acquired. Not through an internal memo or briefing, but through national news - the same time as everyone else.

Within minutes, my team started pinging me with questions:

• "What does this mean for us?"

• "Will there be a restructure?"

• "Is my role safe?"

• "Why is this happening?"

The truth? I didn’t know. I had no more information than they did. But that didn’t mean I had nothing to offer.

I stayed calm. I acknowledged what I didn’t know. I reassured them that when I did know more, I’d share it - and I meant it. I didn’t bluff or speculate. I focused on the bigger picture, and above all, I was visible and available. That’s what they needed.

It wasn’t a one-off. In another situation at the same company, I was given minimal notice ahead of a restructure announcement that directly impacted my team. We were marched as a department to a local venue without explanation, and then told which roles were at risk.

Some team members were devastated. Others were angry. Again, I didn’t have all the answers. But I showed up. I listened, and took some flak if they wanted to vent. I made sure they heard the facts clearly. And I avoided giving false comfort or promises.

These weren’t easy moments. But they taught me something important: people don’t expect you to know everything - they expect you to show up.

Leadership Behaviours That Actually Help

The best leadership I’ve seen in times of uncertainty hasn’t come from grand speeches or clever strategies. It’s come from leaders I admired who were:

• Present: Available, not hiding.

• Steady: Calm even when they didn’t feel it.

• Clear: Honest about what they knew - and didn’t.

It confirmed to me that the behaviours I’d been using weren’t just instinct - they worked.

Contrast that with the mistakes I’ve seen:

• Knee-jerk reactions: Making big decisions too quickly to feel in control.

• Silence: Avoiding team comms because the leader didn’t have answers.

• Spin: Over-promising or sugar-coating, which erodes trust fast.

Transparency has always been one of my core values as a leader - even when I couldn’t share everything. And that’s the balance leaders must strike. Especially during M&A or restructures, you can’t always say it all. But you can be honest, present, and trustworthy.

Practical Tools for Leading Through Change

One thing that makes a huge difference in uncertain times is instant communication.

Don’t let silence fill the room. Don’t let team members create their own narratives. As soon as something lands, pull your team together. Give them the facts. Let them ask questions - even if the answer is "I don’t know yet."

This is especially important if you lead a team that’s highly aware, emotionally intelligent, or tightly knit. Overthinking and misinterpretation spread fast. Early clarity prevents that.

In lower-stakes uncertainty (like pivoting to a new project or strategy), I’ve found that playing the visionary works.

These are some of the behaviours that have served me well when navigating uncertainty, and I’ve put them into a simple checklist you can refer back to. Click here to download the Checklist.

Paint a picture of what success looks like. Describe why this work matters. Give people a reason to believe. Don’t assume they’ll connect the dots between task and mission - help them get there.

And when you don’t have every detail? That’s okay too. Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is start moving. Idle teams create doubt. Progress, even imperfect progress, builds belief.

Trust your gut. Trust the people who put you in the role. If you’re leading through change, it’s because someone believed you could.

This Is For New (and New-to-Uncertainty) Leaders

This post isn’t just for Heads of Finance. It’s especially for the FP&A manager who’s leading a team through their first restructure. For the recently promoted leader navigating exec change. For anyone who’s never had to answer unanswerable questions before.

The first time is hard. But you will learn fast.

You’ll learn that silence creates fear, but that calm is contagious. You’ll learn that your team doesn’t need perfect information - they need you.

And once you’ve been through it, you’ll lead the next one even better.

Final Thought

Uncertainty doesn’t wait for your prep to be done. It doesn’t care if you’ve had media training or got a change comms playbook.

What it needs - what your team needs - is leadership.

Not perfect answers or polished decks, just you. Showing up.

That’s how we lead through it.