Agility is Overrated. Steadiness Wins.
A victory Monday after the Eagles came off two straight losses.
They didn't blow up the playbook. They didn't make dramatic changes. They had honest conversations, stopped forcing what wasn't working (the run), and trusted. Then Jalen Hurts had the game of his life.
After the win, he said he played with "some fire" — but added: "within that fire you have to be the calm and focusing on executing your job."
That's the difference between panicking and recalibrating.
Here's what I see happening in lots of companies right now: leadership teams already triple-guessing Q1 2026, they're talking about "staying agile", adjusting timelines, shifting priorities, maybe pausing hiring or changing the growth plan – again.
Meanwhile, employees are getting quieter. Productivity feels off. The energy in meetings has changed. Leaders aren't sure if it's burnout or something else, but morale isn't where it should be.
Here's what no one's saying out loud: the people strategy is making it worse. Not because leaders are making bad decisions. But because every time the business shifts, the approach to people shifts with it. And that inconsistency is what's destabilizing teams.
Agility is Overrated. Steadiness Wins.
When everything is shifting, people need something that isn't. They need to know that how leadership shows up for them won't change every time the numbers do.
Think about it:
A reforecast happens, so all development conversations get paused.
Message received: employees only matter when the company is growing.
Priorities shift, so one-on-ones get canceled.
Message received: people aren't a priority.
The hiring plan changes, so internal mobility conversations stop.
Message received: there's no path forward here.
Leaders think they're being strategic, teams think leadership is being unpredictable, and unpredictability breeds anxiety, disengagement, and eventually, attrition.
What Steady Looks Like
The best leaders don't pivot their people strategy every time the business shifts. They build a people foundation that stays consistent:
Communicating on a rhythm, not just when there's news.
Weekly check-ins. Regular updates. Even boring ones. Especially boring ones.
Keeping commitments to development, even when budgets tighten.
Growth doesn't require money. It requires intention.
Being honest about what's changing and what isn't.
"The hiring timeline is adjusting, but investment in people hasn't changed."
Showing up the same way when things are hard as when they're easy.
That's the trust builder.
This isn't about being inflexible. It's about understanding that people strategy is the stabilizer, not another variable.
Why Leaders Bring in an External Strategic Partner
Companies don't need someone embedded in the day-to-day chaos, reacting to every shift. They need strategic perspective that doesn't get swept up in the current crisis. A consigliere who can say, "Yes, the forecast changed. No, that doesn't mean abandoning what's working."
I work as an HR scalability partner and C-suite accomplice with executives who are navigating exactly this — reforecasts, pivots, growth that doesn't look like they thought it would. And the companies that come out stronger aren't the ones who chase agility. They're the ones who stay steady where it matters most: with their people.
Let's Talk
For leaders navigating change whose HR approach feels like it's adding to the chaos instead of stabilizing it, or who are wondering why morale keeps dropping even though there haven't been layoffs, let's talk.
I help executives build people strategies that don't fall apart every time the business shifts. Strategies that create stability, not more noise. Strategies that make teams feel steady, even when everything else isn't. Because the future of business doesn't need more agility. It needs leaders who know when to stay the course and a people strategy that doesn't waver.
