Practices from Nordaurai’s play-based leading under pressure program
This week Canva announced the biggest change in its history. The design company is cutting 22% of its staff, 1,271 people, as its growth slows down. That number includes people who lose their jobs, change roles or relocate.
What the 2026 L&D trends say, and what they leave out
When I read the news, I didn’t only see a layoff. I saw a new way of leading. And I think every leader, CEO and L&D manager should look at it closely, because this is not only Canva’s story. It is happening in many organizations right now.
What is changing in Canva’s structure?
Canva is not only reducing people. It is changing how the company works.
Canva is merging its product, growth and platform teams to reduce communication friction. It is also reducing “subspecialisation”, which means employees may be asked to take on more responsibilities. The plan also includes fewer layers of management and combining roles that overlap.
So what does this mean in simple words?
Fewer layers
Smaller structures
Departments working as one
And people doing more than their old job description
What companies need now
Companies need a learning system that makes leaders and teams ready for these changes. This cannot be taught by a lecture. Leaders need to practice it.
That’s why we developed Delegation Rush within our program, a game built specifically for this, as part of our L&D program. in the game leaders need to find people’s strength to delegate different tasks under pressure, by doing so they do practice leading under pressure.
From “my department” to “our work”
This is the part I find most important. When departments merge and layers are removed, people can’t only do their department job anymore. A marketing person may work closely with product. A developer may join growth discussions. A team lead may suddenly lead people from three different backgrounds.
People have to think differently. They have to ask: where can my skills help? Not only: what is my job?
This is a way of thinking. And a way of thinking doesn’t change because a memo says so. It changes when people practice it.
Most leaders were trained in a one-dimensional way. One role, skill and one department. Now they need to put their skills into different tasks, share work across teams, and trust people they didn’t work with before.
Why leaders need to practice delegation under pressure
In a flatter organization, delegation becomes a daily leadership skill. Leaders have to decide fast who does what. They have to give tasks to people in other teams. They have to let go of control. And they have to do all this while the pressure is high, the team is smaller and the changes keep coming.
Under pressure, many leaders do the opposite. They take more work on themselves, they stop delegating. and they go back to old habits. And slowly they burn out, and the team loses ownership.
As a psychologist, I see this again and again. People know what good delegation looks like. But knowing is not doing. Under pressure, we act from habit, not from knowledge. That is why practice matters more than theory. We all know theories, do we know how to implement it when needed? With leading under pressure program you will practice it.
What should leadership development look like now?
If organizations are restructuring, leadership development has to change too. Organizations now need trainings that prepare leaders for three things:
1. Being ready for AI. Leaders need to understand how work is changing and how to lead teams where roles are mixed and tools keep changing.
2. Leadership skills for flatter teams. Delegating across teams, communicating clearly, deciding under pressure, and leading people from different departments.
3. Behavior change. Not only knowing the skill, but actually doing it differently on Monday morning.
The third one is where most programs fail. Leaders complete the course, get the certificate, and go back to work the same way as before. For L&D managers, completion rates look good. But nothing really changes in behavior.
How play-based learning helps leaders practice
It is a play-based program grounded in the science of positive psychology. Leaders don’t only read about delegation they practice it. Part of the program is our digital game called Delegation Rush. In the game, leaders delegate tasks among different team layers, under time pressure. They have to decide fast, think about who fits which task, and see what happens when they hold on to everything themselves. It feels like a game. But it trains a real leadership behavior: deciding, communicating and delegating under pressure. The program has 7 modules with anonymous assessments. Leaders take a before-and-after test, so the organization and the L&D team can see the improvement, not only the completion. Games give leaders a safe place to try, fail and try again. In real life, mistakes in delegation cost time, trust and people. In a game, they become learning.
Values matter during restructuring
One more thing I want to say about Canva. Departing employees get at least six months’ salary, continued healthcare in eligible countries and career transition support. Some founders called the way it was handled “a master-class in how to handle layoffs.” peoplemattersNewsweek
A layoff is still a loss for the people who leave. Nothing removes that. But how leaders handle the hardest moment shows their real values. People remember how they were treated when things were difficult. Leading through restructuring is not only about structure. It is about values, compassion and clear communication, especially for the people who stay.
Canva’s restructuring is a big moment for one company but the lesson is for all of us. Organizations are becoming flatter, departments are merging, AI is changing roles every month, and leaders are in the middle of it, under pressure. The organizations that prepare their leaders now will handle these changes better. The ones that wait will learn it the hard way. Leading under pressure is a skill of thinking and acting differently that needs practice.
Want to see how Practice Leading Under Pressure works for your leaders?
Written by: Angela Boyajian, psychologist and occupational wellbeing specialist
