A global pandemic, uncertain economic times, international conflict and natural disasters… It's safe to say the last few years have been a melting pot of uncertainty for the global workforce.
Uncertainty can surface internally, too, of course. Takeovers, mergers, redundancies or restructures are all unsettling for employees and leadership alike.
Whilst navigating some degree of uncertainty can be inevitable when leading a team, it's no easy task.The brunt of it falls on the shoulders of the team leaders to communicate, represent and aid their employees - regardless of whether they are involved or far removed from the changes or turbulence themselves.
Get it right, however, and leaders will solidify their team's trust, and in turn have higher performing, motivated and happy employees once the team has successfully navigated difficulties.
To coincide with (what would have been) International Leadership Week, we have pulled some of our top tips to help you, as a leader, navigate your team through choppy waters.
Ensure your team has what they need
This might sound like an obvious one, but during uncertainty it's so important for managers to understand what exactly their teams need.
It might be practical, emotional, a bit of both, or it might even be something completely different. Whatever support looks like to a particular team, make it a priority to deliver and meet the needs.
It's also really important to acknowledge that these needs will likely differ and change over time, so ensure communication is open and invest time in understanding how needs are changing so you can adapt to them.
Trust
Uncertainty or not, trust is always key. But during turbulent times, trust really is King. For leaders, it is crucial to gain and maintain the trust of the team. Team members will be looking to you as their managers or leaders for support, security and for honest transparency.
Trust isn't something that will happen overnight, especially if you are new to a team. But ensuring consistency, clarity and fairness will go a long way in gaining trust from your team.
Earning the trust of your team, and ensuring you maintain the trust, will benefit both you and your team as you navigate challenging times - but also be hugely beneficial once the uncertainty has settled.
Truth is a wonderful thing
Going hand in hand with trust is truth - another hugely important factor. Honesty is key to building trust - even if it's not what your team will want to hear. On the other hand, be careful not to overshare in a way that could lead to unnecessary worry. It's a fine line to balance, but get it right and the rewards will speak for themselves.
Try not to oversimplify
It's also important to resist oversimplifying information or drawing any conclusions too quickly. Periods of change can often bring… well, change. Ensure what you tell your team is easy to understand, but not oversimplified.
Oversimplifying changes or situations could cause your team to misunderstand what's happening and lead to additional uncertainty, distrust and undo the hard work you've put into supporting your team through uncertainty.
See the woods from the trees
As a manager or leader, you are your team's representative and voice to the wider leadership team.
As a leader, you'll likely be privy to lots of company information and internal updates. Especially during times of uncertainty, it is so important to decipher and filter through the noise to ensure your team is getting only the most relevant and clear information - and to avoid being overwhelmed with excessive and possibly contradictory information.
Filtering down the right information in a timely way will allow team members to be informed, but not unnecessarily distracted from their workloads by excessive noise.
Understand your team
Understanding your team's wellness at work, is invaluable knowledge in any state - uncertain or otherwise.
During difficult times, however, it's absolutely the most valuable tool you can have. After all, in order to deliver the above, you need to understand where your team is at in relation to their work, their work energy and a whole host of impacting factors on their work wellness.
That's why Vyou brings together the best of AI and human coaching to create personalised work wellness journeys, all in one easy-to-use app.
Vyou's work wellness platform helps your team measure, track, and improve how they feel at work, no matter where they work from. This allows you to understand your team, their wellness and take action to help them thrive, even through more challenging times.
Want to find out more? Hit the get started button to sign up, or to get in touch with one of the Vyou team who can walk you through the products.
