S2 E10: Leadership During Uncertainty | Why Trust Changes Everything

How do great leaders build trust when everything around them is changing? In this episode of Behaviorally Speaking: Leadership for Change-Makers, Dr. Esther C. Bubb sits down with communications and corporate marketing leader Lauren Higgins to explore what it truly means to lead through uncertainty with humility, honesty, and purpose. As organizations navigate rapid technological advances, shifting priorities, artificial intelligence, and evolving workplace expectations, many leaders are asking the same question: How do we help people embrace change without losing trust, connection, or culture? Lauren shares practical leadership lessons drawn from more than 20 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations communicate change, align people around purpose, and create cultures where employees feel valued and empowered. Through personal stories and professional insights, she reminds us that leadership is not about having all the answers. It's about asking better questions, communicating with transparency, and treating people with dignity throughout the change process. Together, Dr. Bubb and Lauren discuss: Why humility is one of the strongest leadership behaviors • How honest communication strengthens trust during times of uncertainty • The connection between organizational culture and shared purpose • Why curiosity is more powerful than assumptions • Helping teams navigate resistance to change with empathy • Leading courageously while acknowledging what you don't know • The importance of values-based leadership in today's workplace • Balancing artificial intelligence with authentic human connection Lauren shares very personal stories—from corporate transformation to parenting through complex systems—that remind us that people don’t just want direction. They want connection, clarity, and purpose. Monday Morning Move: Start your next meeting by asking: “What’s our why?” Re-center your team on purpose, reconnect people to meaning, and move forward together. Key Takeaway: People don't resist change nearly as much as they resist feeling unheard, uninformed, or disconnected from purpose. Leaders who communicate with humility, honesty, and empathy create the psychological safety needed for people—and organizations—to grow. Whether you lead in education, healthcare, business, government, nonprofit organizations, or your local community, this conversation offers practical strategies you can begin using immediately to build stronger relationships, healthier workplace cultures, and more resilient teams. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who is committed to leading with purpose and creating meaningful change. Leadership is behavior, and behavior always tells a story. #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ChangeManagement #OrganizationalCulture #BehaviorScience #EmotionalIntelligence #Communication #WorkplaceCulture #PsychologicalSafety #LeadershipPodcast #BehaviorallySpeaking #DrEstherBubb #LaurenHiggins About Our Guest Lauren Higgins is a communications and marketing leader with more than two decades of experience helping organizations turn compelling ideas into content that moves people to act. She believes that storytelling is one of the oldest tools we have for making sense of change. Whether it’s about helping people fulfill their retirement dreams, rethinking how a university engages its donors, or guiding a company through transformation, she always starts with the same question: What's the human side of the story here, and how do we tell it in a way that earns trust and inspires action? Most recently, Lauren worked at TIAA where she served as the Managing Editor for the TIAA TMRW publication, but that thread of working for mission-driven organizations carries through her career from Villanova University, Cambridge Associates, and The Vanguard Group. She attended the College of the Holy Cross and earned a B.A. in English and holds graduate degrees from Carnegie Mellon University in Professional Writing and from Drexel University in Business Administration. She’s also a certified Sommelier.