We are in the middle of a global crisis and the daily news doesn’t seem to be getting any better. During times of crisis, our reality can change on an hour to hour basis. A leader’s job is to identify this change, understand its impact, and effectively communicate the current reality.
A big challenge for a leader is to figure out how to communicate most effectively. Effective communication is grounded on three principles:
1. Empathy
People are worried most about their family, friends and finances. Social media and the news are covered in stories saying that the pandemic will last anywhere from months to over a year.
Leaders must face the fears of others head-on and speak directly about them. You must let people know that despite the difficult situation, you are working tirelessly to find ways to keep them employed. You must acknowledge that there may be change, but if this happens, they will be continually informed, and if layoffs occur, they will be treated with care and respect.
People do not follow leaders who show a lack of understanding and empathy.
2. Truthfulness
Truthful communication seems to be self-evident, but every day we are watching leaders who fail at this basic test of leadership. Remember, people can handle bad news, and if you don’t know the answer, better to be honest than spread misinformation.
“Trust is equal parts character and competence… You can look at any leadership failure, and it’s always a failure of one or the other.” ― Stephen M.R. Covey, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
You must always speak the truth, even if it is terrible news.
Speaking to truth is not about giving a pep talk to tell everybody that things will be fine. Doing so would be like trying to motivate people through a crisis. The reality is a pandemic is not a motivational situation. It is a time for making informed decisions that adapt as new information changes.
Good leaders know the difference between motivating through a crisis and leading through a crisis.
3. Frequency
How often should you communicate?
- You must communicate as often as necessary for people in your organization.
During times of crisis, there is no such thing as overcommunicating.
Our circumstances are changing rapidly, and many leaders are now communicating daily. If the change is significant, you may need to talk more frequently.
Beyond these three principles, it’s important to consider the message itself. Find success by carefully crafting messages that:
- Make sense. When you communicate, the message may make sense to you, but it may not make sense to others. People rarely have the same information or knowledge or understand the jargon that you use. You must make the “why” of any communication clear so that people will have the same understanding that you do.
- Are well delivered. When you speak, you need to be confident, calm and composed. Delivering a panicked message will never be useful and can do more damage.
Finally, in order to be a great leader, you must also take care of yourself. During a time of high stress, many demands are made on your time. If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot take care of others.
When you lead by the principles, you will be leading through times of crisis.
