Avoidable missteps every change leader should note
It’s been painful to watch the tumult at CBS News. The news operation came under new leadership following the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media in 2025 (a deal that is pending, though expected to go through). That change was coming wasn’t a newsflash. How it has been handled keeps generating headlines.
Senior correspondent Scott Pelley was fired and subsequently granted an expansive interview to the New York Times, describing months of difficulty and the shock of seeing longtime colleagues summarily dismissed. All of this follows Bari Weiss being named editor-in-chief of CBS News — an unconventional pick with no experience in television news, arriving with a clear mandate to shake things up.
Having been laid off more than once in my career and having had to both fire and lay people off, I know there are better and worse ways to do it. Based on what has been reported, there are lessons here for anyone leading through crisis and change.
Leading through change means bringing people into an uncertain future with hope, confidence, and agency. Hope because they have to see something better on the horizon. Confidence because they have to believe you — and they — have what it takes to get there. Agency because you need to involve people in the process. It’s a lot easier when change is done with people rather than to them.
Trust is your currency, and you have to build it every single day. A daring vision and a sterling strategy won’t get you where you need to go unless people actively choose to follow you. Instead of bringing old and new together to forge the future, they were thrown into opposition. That breaks trust and hardens resistance to change.
If you don’t know the exact contours of the future, be forthright about it. Share the process of discovery you plan to use to figure it out. State and stick to your values. People will accept that you don’t have all of the answers if they see you are being transparent and asking smart questions.
And finally: treat everyone with compassion and generosity. Sometimes people are not going to move forward with the organization. Be transparent. Be human. No texts. No emails. Show up and do it in person. You’re ending someone’s employment, not throwing away a day-old bagel.
Change is hard. Yet leading infused with hope, confidence, and agency unlocks the power of everyone to shape a better future.
One Key Takeaway:
- Trust is currency, earned (or lost) daily. New leaders must be visible, humble, and psychologically safe to be around. Competence alone isn’t enough — people need to see your intent, your care for them, and your willingness to have their backs.
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