It’s OK to get it wrong – just say it
I’m sure many of us, if not all, have worked in organisations where leaders seem totally disconnected from reality. There can be many reasons for this from wanting to believe everything is perfect, to not having a safe culture where those beneath them can tell them the truth without fear, to just a complete lack of interest or empathy in the people that work for them. There will be a host of other reasons too and it could be that the leaders KNOW things aren’t right but the way they communicate doesn’t portray this to the audience. Sometimes Leaders just need comms help.
Receiving an email from a leader celebrating everyone’s fantastic achievements without acknowledging the pain points to get there, will not motivate or inspire people to keep going. There is something really powerful about a leader being able to say ‘I know it’s been tough, folks. It’s not gone how I’d have liked so thank you for getting us here.’
Candidness is one of my top tips for leaders if you want to demonstrate empathy and have an authentic voice that colleagues can relate to. It is not a sign of weakness to admit things aren’t going to plan. Sometimes that leadership visibility and empathetic tone is just enough to restore some balance and to bring people back from, what would otherwise be a low morale situation, with low productivity, high stress levels and poor organisational outcomes.