Transformation has become the new normal. Hardly any company today is not simultaneously dealing with disruption, digitalization, decarbonization, geopolitical risks, talent shortages, or regulatory pressure. Complexity is high, and uncertainties are numerous.

And yet corporate communication during transformation often sounds surprisingly smooth and polished: attractive target visions, coherent roadmaps, positive narratives, controlled messaging. Change is told like a project – with a beginning, a middle, and a successful end.

The problem: this is no longer how transformation feels to anyone.

The Dangerous Gap Between Narrative and Experience

Traditional change communication follows a simple principle:
It is meant to provide security. Create orientation. Generate confidence.

But transformation today rarely unfolds in a linear way. Strategies must be adjusted, priorities shift, external shocks can overturn certainties overnight.

Employees, investors, and the public experience this reality every day.
When communication fails to reflect it, a dangerous gap emerges between narrative and experience.

And that gap erodes trust.

Trust Does Not Come from Certainty – but from Honesty

Many leadership teams hesitate to communicate uncertainty openly, fearing it may create anxiety or signal weakness.

The opposite is true. In a world of constant change, people no longer expect perfect answers. They expect orientation in a complex environment. They want to know:

• What direction has been set – even if the path is not yet fully clear?
• Which assumptions remain uncertain?
• And according to which criteria decisions will be made when conditions change?

Credible transformation communication answers precisely these questions – with clarity of stance, transparency, and consistency.

Example: Deutsche Telekom – Acknowledging Uncertainties

A strong example is Deutsche Telekom. For years, the company has been undergoing a profound transformation – from a traditional telecommunications provider to a digital infrastructure and platform company.

What stands out is not so much the ambitious vision as the way it has been communicated. Deutsche Telekom made it clear early on that this transformation was not a perfectly planned master project.

In discussions with employees, investors, and the media, management openly acknowledged areas of uncertainty: the scaling of new digital business models, regulatory developments in Europe, and the long-term returns on major infrastructure investments.

Instead of glossing over uncertainty, leadership put it into context and outlined a clear path forward – including necessary adjustments. Decisions were not presented as inevitable, but as the result of careful deliberation under changing conditions.

This approach was understandable and credible for everyone – especially employees. They came to see transformation as a process that realistically reflected their daily work reality. And they ultimately determine its success. Credible communication empowers consistent implementation.

Among external stakeholders, trust was built because leadership openly acknowledged uncertainties while clearly explaining how they would be managed.

This is how trust is created: through transparent communication of decisions and confident handling of uncertainty.

Courage to Embrace Uncertainty as a Leadership Skill

Companies seeking to build trust must learn to clearly communicate three things:

1. What we know
   Where goals are clear. Where decisions have been made. Where there is no longer debate.
2. What we don’t yet know
   Which assumptions remain open. Which developments are being monitored. Where options are still being weighed.
3. How we will decide
   According to which principles, guardrails, and time horizons.

This form of communication is demanding. It requires the courage to say: we cannot control everything.

Yet it works – internally and externally. It creates realistic expectations and makes leadership predictable, even when the future is not.

Transformation Is a Learning Process

A common communication mistake is to present transformation as if it were primarily a story. In reality, it is a learning process – with milestones, corrections, and sometimes setbacks.

Companies that communicate this openly gain credibility, even when results are not immediately visible.

What matters most is continuity: not a single major announcement, but the consistent, honest framing of progress, challenges, and next steps.

Those who explain transformation rather than stage-manage it take employees and the public seriously – and are perceived as reliable actors.

What This Means for Strategic Communication

For communications leaders and CEOs, this means in practice:

• Fewer polished narratives, more real context
• Fewer glossy target visions, more process understanding
• Less staging of certainty, more transparency about decisions

Transformation requires a robust communication strategy – and unconditional honesty.

At superconsult, we support companies precisely in these phases:

• When old communication patterns no longer work
• When uncertainty increases
• When leadership requires greater explanation

Our experience shows:
The most credible transformation stories are those that are not yet finished. They accept uncertainty – and turn it into strength.

Because in the end:
Trust does not come from perfect answers.
It comes from clarity about how uncertainty is handled.