Lead Your Team Through Tough Times

(soft music) We so often feel, especially if we're new to leadership positions, or we feel like we have to prove ourselves, that it means having all the answers on day one, and you will never have all the answers. Like, no matter who you are and what you've done, there's gotta be something that pops up, where you're just like, "Wow, I did not see that coming." Our first instinct as leaders, sometimes, is to say, "Oh, I can't tell my team that I'm also feeling anxiety," or, "I just need to put a positive spin on this, because that's my role." When you're on the receiving end of that, that feels really inauthentic, because it's like, okay, well, I know I can tell that some stuff is going down around here, but my manager's like, "Nope, it's all positive and I'm feeling great." You sort of feel like, "What's wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way?" (bright music) Your job as a leader will inevitably involve having to share really difficult news or make an announcement about a change that is super stressful to people. That's just part of what it means to be a leader. Showing no emotion when you do this is really unsettling, because it's not a normal human reaction when things are stressful, but you can also show so much emotion that it's destabilizing for the team and undermines your authority. There are things you can do to support your team even when it feels like a lot of big decisions or a lot of macroeconomic forces are completely out of your control. (gentle music) According to LinkedIn data, a growth mindset, which is the willingness to adapt and learn new skills is the number one thing that's most helped American workers to have breakthrough moments when navigating tough challenges in their careers to date. Yeah, you can't always guarantee someone a promotion, or unfortunately, even job security, but what you can do is invest in giving them the kinds of personal growth opportunities that will help them in their current job, and also be really useful in the unfortunate event that they need to look for a different job. This kind of exercise serves a dual purpose. It helps put that person on the career path that they're really excited about, and it also makes them much more motivated in their day-to-day, which means they'll perform at a higher level when they're on your team working at your company. Creating clarity is key to earning trust and preserving stability for your team. One way to do this is when you're going to announce something or share information plan ahead, so you know what you'll say. You might also ask for advice from relevant stakeholders like human resources experts or other leaders who can also help you consider what concerns might come up in that conversation. When you don't have clarity, it might be tempting just to say nothing, and wait until...