Workplace change can challenge even experienced leaders. New processes, shifting priorities, and unfamiliar responsibilities often require quick decisions while employees are still adjusting.

Under pressure, managers may rely on familiar habits, such as taking control, doing extra work for others, or waiting for uncertainty to pass. Although these responses can sometimes help, using the same approach in every situation can increase stress.

Why Familiar Habits Take Over

When uncertainty rises, people often return to strategies that have worked before. A leader who values order may increase supervision, while someone who wants to support colleagues may take on additional tasks. Others prefer to wait until expectations become clearer. These responses are not necessarily mistakes. They may reflect responsibility, caution, or a desire to maintain quality. Problems arise when a familiar strategy becomes automatic, even when circumstances call for a different response.

In a 2026 Psychology Today article, Michelle McQuaid discusses five approaches leaders commonly use during workplace change. Research conducted with The Change Lab surveyed 380 leaders to examine how their preferred approaches related to perceived success, well-being, and burnout.

Five Approaches to Workplace Change

Control: Some leaders respond by tightening plans, monitoring progress, and requiring approval for decisions. This can help when deadlines are strict, but excessive oversight may reduce employee independence and increase the manager's workload.

Adapt: Flexible leaders welcome feedback, adjust plans, and involve employees in solving problems. This approach can strengthen trust and shared responsibility, although it may require more discussion and patience.

Rescue: These leaders protect colleagues by taking on difficult tasks or working longer hours. Their support can be valuable during a temporary crisis, but constantly carrying other people's responsibilities can lead to exhaustion.

Avoid: Some managers wait for uncertainty to decrease before acting. Waiting can be sensible when information is incomplete, but prolonged delays may leave employees confused about expectations.

Resist: Other leaders challenge proposed changes they believe are unsuitable. Constructive questions can prevent mistakes, but continued opposition without practical alternatives may weaken cooperation.

What the Research Suggests

McQuaid's survey found that leaders who favored adaptation reported the strongest combination of perceived success and well-being among the five groups. Seventy-one percent considered their changes successful, 43 percent reported feeling well, and 23 percent reported burnout.

Among leaders who favored control, 40 percent reported burnout. The figure was 50 percent for those who tended to rescue others, 44 percent for those who preferred avoidance, and 78 percent for those who favored resistance. The resistance group represented only 3 percent of the surveyed leaders.

These findings show associations rather than proof that a particular leadership style directly causes burnout. Other workplace factors may influence the results. Nevertheless, the figures encourage leaders to examine whether their usual responses are helping or creating additional pressure.

Choose the Right Response

The most useful question is not which leadership style is always best, but what the situation requires. A strict deadline may call for clear instructions and close coordination. An unfamiliar project may benefit from collaboration and experimentation. Temporary support may be necessary, provided it does not become a permanent substitute for employee responsibility.

Make Honest Conversations Routine

Employees often notice practical problems before they appear in formal reports. Their feedback can help leaders identify confusion, excessive workloads, and obstacles that require attention. McQuaid also cites a separate 2026 survey of 811 workers. Only 26 percent said team members often speak honestly about how workplace changes make them feel. This suggests that leaders may not always hear the full story about their teams' experiences.

Regular check-ins can create space for honest discussion. Asking specific questions about workload, priorities, and challenges is often more useful than simply asking whether everything is fine. Listening without immediately defending a decision can also encourage more open communication.

Leading through workplace change requires flexibility, communication, and awareness of personal limits. The findings highlight adaptation as a promising approach, especially when teams need to learn and respond to new information. By choosing responses deliberately, sharing responsibility, and welcoming honest feedback, leaders can support progress without placing unnecessary pressure on themselves or their employees.