I’ve learned that if in-person communication is important with work colleagues, it’s far, far more important with spouses, children, and our most intimate relationships. There are some very important people I do need to show up in person for more right now: my husband and my 11-year-old twins. Take care of yourself and your personal relationships first Don’t be surprised if you’re the last person they want to hear from, and if you don’t hear back, don’t push it. But even when you don’t have anything to offer, it’s still important to reach out. Keep an ear to the ground for jobs they might be well-suited for. Email people about a month after they’ve been let go to check in and see how they’re doing. Once you’ve delivered the news, don’t just disappear. What’s more, it’s important to be present for these emotions (on video, if the meeting is virtual), so you can better understand how your message landed, and to adjust. It’s not your job to manage other people’s emotions, but as a leader and a human being, it is your job to allow people the space to experience their emotions. It’s inevitable that the person you’re laying off, furloughing, or asking to take a pay cut will get emotional, and that’s okay. If you try to avoid feeling the pain that is inherent in the situation, especially for the person you’re letting go, you’ll make a hash of it. It’s important not to distance yourself from the person you’re about to lay off or furlough. Not everyone is able to retain their employees right now, and the way you let those people know matters. As one of my coaching clients, Cameron Yarbrough, CEO of Torch, eloquently said to me, “If you over index on instilling confidence, and gloss over the bad news, it will come at the expense of trust.” One of the biggest mistakes leaders will make in the next phase of the pandemic is not admitting “I don’t know.” They’ll also need to share what information they do know more transparently. However, when you do have information (good or bad) that affects your team, commit to delivering it as soon as possible in a way that’s kind and clear.Īdmitting you “don’t know” can make you feel out of control, but a little discomfort is worth your team trusting your leadership. It’s also okay to admit that you don’t have all the answers. It’s difficult for people to do their jobs if they don’t know what’s going on. When I was CEO of a software startup in the early 2000s, I let everyone know exactly how much money the company had and when we would run out. Being radically candid means you tell people what they need to know in a way that’s both kind and clear, and you ask them to do the same with you and each other. Uncertainty always causes more anxiety than transparency, and this is especially true during times of crisis. This could mean not being transparent about upcoming layoffs or furloughs because you’re afraid people will worry. And defaulting to ruinous empathy during a crisis can cause great harm. However, not giving someone information they need because you’re worried about hurting their feelings is not empathy it’s ruinous empathy. Radical candor is what happens when you care personally about someone and challenge them directly at the same time. There is a difference between empathy and ruinous empathy So while more people aren’t necessarily talking out loud, more people are being heard. Chat and Q&A features are an effective way for participants to deepen self-awareness and relational awareness during virtual workshops because they allow for shared vulnerability and give everyone a voice-versus just a few people who tend to speak out during in-person workshops.
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