The Silent Leadership Trap

Why Communication Can't Wait for Certainty

Communication - the quickest ways to both build and lose trust

Yet during uncertainty, leaders often hold off communicating with their teams until they have firm answers. Believing this approach will both provide clarity and prevent unnecessary worry.

But what we typically see is the silence generates anxiety.

Think of a significant team or organisational change that you’ve experienced. Did you sense a change was coming before anything was formally recognised or confirmed? How did that impact your performance or wellbeing at work?

During these times we instinctively want to make sense of the situation. So, when leaders stay silent, their teams fill in the gaps.

As a result, leaders often find themselves battling beliefs and resistance formed from narratives rather than facts, creating obstacles which could have been avoided with early communication.

I recently read an article by Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor, where she shared valuable tips on holding transparent conversations during uncertainty.

Here's what resonated:

• Acknowledge both the change and emotions being felt.

• Be upfront with what you know and what you do not know, sharing facts.

• Resist the urge to say the 'easiest' thing, rather than the truest.

• Invite questions and feedback.

• Outline next steps.

My add on:

Leaning into a value, whether an organisational or an unwritten team value can help guide people forward, with the value acting as a ‘north star’ in lieu of a clear step by step itinerary.

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers all the time, but it is about guiding people through change and the potential impacts.

Ways forward:

We all want to feel seen and heard at work, so:

• create opportunities for 2-way communications both upwards with your leader and downwards with your team.

• help your team understand where to focus their attention by providing clarity on what’s needed now.

• regularly check in to:

  • get a sense of how people are experiencing the uncertainty and

  • provide updates.

Trust thrives in transparency so consider how you can build and maintain trust with every step.