Reassuring Your Staff in Uncertain Times
In times of uncertainty, leaders must be able to communicate clearly and openly with employees. However great the unknowns, reassuring concerned staff and being available to respond to their questions is vital to maintaining morale. Steve Bustin, the founder of Vada Media and a regular speaker on business communications topics, provided the following insight and advice: Prepare. "The first mistake leaders tend to make when there's been a period of uncertainty or trouble is to just blunder in regardless. They don't actually stop and think about how best to approach it before they start. And that is the worst thing you can do in this situation," Bustin said. "In times of trouble, you've actually got to be preparing twice as hard [for a speech or presentation] as you might do when things are going well." Be consistent. Before you deliver your speech, sit down with your senior team and agree on what you are going to say because the message has to be consistent. "Talk to all of your senior team before you go into each of their individual team meetings, so the senior manager knows what's going to be said, and they can be forearmed and forewarned," Bustin said. "Then you're also more likely to bring them along." If unresolved dissent becomes public, it will undermine your message, so if there are any dissenters, sit down with them and understand their objections. They may have a point about something you need to take on board. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Communicate in person. Particularly in bad times, it is important to talk to people face to face. Don't just issue an email. If you are a leader across several teams, go into each of their meetings separately. "Don't just drop in, make a statement, and then leave," Bustin said. "You become very distant if you do that. Go in and tell them what you know, what you don't know, and then allow time for questions. Stay for the rest of the meeting; it shows that you're interested in what they're doing and you value what they're up to." Show empathy. Don't instruct staff not to worry. It provides no meaningful reassurance. "A good leader displays empathy," Bustin said. "They will acknowledge those worries and point out that they share them. That will often do a lot to reassure staff that 'we are all in this together.'" Be honest. Lay your cards on the table. Tell your team what you know and don't know. You should acknowledge any variables or unknowns. Chances are the team will know what they are anyway, but it's good to hear them vocalized by their leader. Getting feedback from clients as a gauge of what might happen is hugely valuable. It enables leaders to go into a staff meeting and say either: "We've already spoken to our clients, and it's business as usual." Or, "We have spoken to our clients, and some are, understandably, a bit jittery. We need to look after them and reassure them as much as possible. …