5 reflexes to reassure your team when you’re doubting yourself
How do you reassure your teams while you are facing uncertainty yourself? The goal is not to hide your concerns, but to regulate them to provide a safe, mobilizing framework. Five concrete, crash-tested points.
Source (among others)
- Amy C. Edmondson, « Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams » (Administrative Science Quarterly, 1999),
- Sigal Barsade, « The Ripple Effect: Emotional Contagion and Its Influence on Group Behavior » (Administrative Science Quarterly, 2002),
- C.A. Yue et al., « Bridging transformational leadership, transparent communication, and employee trust », (Public Relations Review, 2019).
1. Distinguish transparency and contagious anxiety
Transparency is a managerial duty; sharing anxiety is not. State what you know, what you don’t yet know, and when you’ll be back with answers. Use calibrated wording: what is confirmed, what is plausible, what is under review.
Ban doom-laden projections or raw, emotional asides in front of the team. If you are highly worried, debrief first with a peer or your manager, then go back to the team with a clarified message. Repeat a simple rule: truth, restraint, regularity. Perceived consistency beats instant exhaustiveness. And when you don’t have the answer, say so, then lay out the path to obtain it. Candor about the process reassures more than fragile certainties.
SIGN IN
© Copyright Business Digest - All rights reserved
