4 Priorities for Supporting Team Members in Volatile Times

By Shahnaz Broucek and Lisa Morgan

Soaring gas prices. Recession worries. War in Europe. Pandemic and political divisiveness. Climate change. As a leader, how do you support flourishing on your team when it feels like the world at large is in crisis? We know from Gallup’s research that followers say they most need four things from their leaders: hope, trust, compassion, and stability. Acting within your circle of influence to shore up hope, trust, compassion, and stability can go a long way toward enabling thriving – even when times are tough.

Express hope. It can be hard to exude hope if you are not feeling particularly hopeful yourself. Think back to times when you have been resilient in the past. How did you achieve it? Our greatest challenges usually lead to our greatest opportunities for growth. How might this be true now for you and your team? Acknowledge your team members’ successes and remind them of times you have seen them overcome significant challenges and thrive. Express your confidence in their ability to excel now. Look for moments where hope can enter in and amplify these. What else might you do to generate positive emotions? How can you focus on team strengths even when it feels like society’s woes are overwhelming?

Build trust and model transparency. Trust comes from sharing openly with as much transparency as possible. Being willing to show vulnerability and admit fault is also a great trust-builder. Even more importantly, during one-on-ones, regularly ask what people need from you. Find out what your team members’ concerns are. Ask them what you can do to support them in being successful. Think of ways you can demonstrate how much you appreciate them and trust them to do their jobs.

Trust also comes from engaging your team up front in the ideation phase of projects. Assume there is wisdom around you and involve your team fully in identifying solutions. Really listen and value their input.

If you need to share an unpopular decision, explain the rationale behind the decision so your team understands all of the factors that influenced the strategy. If you don’t know an answer, state that, but convey that you understand the concern and provide as much clarity as possible.

Approach everyone with compassion, starting with yourself. When we are stressed, it’s hard to have compassion for others. Make a conscious effort to practice self-compassion. In other words, put on your own oxygen mask first. Acknowledge your anxiety with kindness, recognizing that you are not alone. It’s part of being human.

Consider with compassion the personal stressors your team members may be dealing with right now. Is there some way that you can acknowledge what they may be going through? In this mostly virtual environment, how might you provide opportunities for team members to connect with one another to shore up collective goodwill and emotional support?

Provide stability whenever possible. In uncertain times, stability is most impacted. At a fundamental level, people need a sense of security. How can you engage your team with a degree of predictability? Look for ways to reassure them about things that will remain constant, even during times of volatility. Provide as much certainty as you can.

Individuals are sometimes reluctant to rely on others for reassurance and information. As a leader, you can gently stress that it is okay to lean on others and seek help. Now is the time to listen, support, engage, encourage and collaborate. You don’t have to have all the answers. Let others bring their ideas and suggestions and learn together. Others hold valuable perspectives on challenges and may hold the keys to solutions.

Offering hope, trust, compassion, and stability builds a foundation for flourishing, even in the toughest of times.