Communicating through uncertainty
Context
- People look to leaders for guidance on what to do, what to expect and how to act during uncertain and fluid times.
- The need for strong, calm, trustworthy leadership is more important than ever.
- A leader can create clarity and certainty amid uncertainty and disruption.
Purpose
- Strong two-way communication to maximise trust and minimise own and teams’ stress and anxiety
- Leaders who demonstrate empathy, mindfulness and humility are more likely to provide certainty
What you can do as a leader?
- Communication: Regularly bring everyone along each step of the way
- Manage leader contagion: Role model your own emotions and ‘self-certainty’, creating a sense of realistic hope for now and the future.
- Stay connected: Shared community, vision, purpose and values. Reinforce this with some basic supportive habits the team builds deliberately over time.
- Act curiously and inclusively: Lead from the heart, not just the head and treat the team as a whole and a group of individuals and respond to unique needs.
- Show decisiveness: Focus on what we can control.
- Deal with what’s right in front of us: Manage complexity being aware of it, but keeping tasks simple and clear.
Additional References
- Resources for crisis related change
- Special Coverage. Coronavirus. Leading and working through a pandemic.
- Useful Covid 19 Resources
- Adkar quick start guides actionable insights for todays change challenges
- Deloitte, Leading Virtual Teams Guide