Leadership strategies matter most when everything feels like it is falling apart. Judd Antin, who led teams at Meta and Airbnb during one of the most chaotic decades in tech, knows this firsthand. From mass layoffs to fast pivots, he has seen it all.

Between 2012 and 2022, Judd worked at two of the biggest tech companies during moments of high stress and rapid change. His secret? Not buzzwords, not flashy plans. Just clear, human strategies that work when the pressure is highest.

Own the Uncertainty

The first real strategy is facing the truth, even when it is messy. Judd learned that people don’t need you to have every answer. They need you to admit what you do and don’t know. Pretending to have it all figured out only adds stress.

Freepik / According to Judd Antin, uncertainty doesn't mean panic. It means shifting gears fast and being open about it.

Leaders who say, “Things are changing, and here is how we will adapt,” earn trust. That is what Judd did. And it kept his teams moving forward, even when the path was blurry.

Talk Straight & Talk Often

In chaos, silence feels like doom. So Judd made communication his superpower. Not corporate updates. Not vague promises. Just regular, honest talk. What is happening, what is not, and what comes next. It sounds simple, but few do it well.

People will fill in the gaps if you don’t speak up. And usually, they assume the worst. That is why Judd pushed for fast, clear updates, even when the news wasn’t great. It helped his teams stay focused, not frozen.

Because knowing the truth, even a hard one, is better than guessing in the dark.

Support the Humans, Not Just the Work

Layoffs aren’t just spreadsheets and budgets. They are people’s lives. Judd understood that. So he didn’t just think about who stayed, but how everyone felt. He made sure people had real emotional support.

That meant offering career coaching, therapy resources, or just making space to talk.

Freepik / People can’t work well if they are falling apart. When Judd led teams through cuts, he didn’t rush into “business as usual.”

He paused, listened, and let people grieve. That emotional honesty built stronger bonds and made recovery possible.

Decide Fast & Stand Tall

You can’t lead from the sidelines. In chaos, indecision is poison. Judd learned that the hard way. Waiting too long to act only makes fear grow. So he trained himself to make decisions quickly, with the best info he had at the time, even if it wasn’t perfect.

Every day of silence creates more anxiety. Judd made calls, owned them, and kept moving. That doesn’t mean rushing into bad moves. It means choosing progress over perfection. His teams respected that. Because even if they didn’t love the decision, they trusted the process behind it.

Don’t Drop the Empathy

Empathy is a survival tool. Judd balanced hard business moves with real human care. He knew that layoffs, shifts, and stress test people’s loyalty. How leaders show up during that pain sticks. So he showed up with compassion and stayed present.

People don’t forget how you treat them in tough times. Judd didn’t sugarcoat things, but he always led with heart. He checked in, asked how people were really doing, and made time for one-on-one talks. That empathy paid off. It built resilience. And people remembered who stood by them.