How to Communicate Stability After a Destabilizing Event

In a previous post, I talked about the internal reflection leaders must first take when considering how to communicate with their team or organization after crises that have national impact, such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Hamas attack and the aftermath in Gaza, and the U.S. election.

Each may stir up vastly different political and personal views, leading to tension, polarization, and a feeling of destabilization that can affect the workplace. In this post, I will offer the next step after reflecting inward: how to respond in a way that honors different views, focuses on trust and cohesion, and creates the stability most employees need to feel more secure (and, thus more effective) at work.

12 ways leaders can help their teams and organizations

Any solution needs to be tailored given the nuances of the situation; however, some basics can be applied to similar situations. Those basics involve:

• Acknowledging something happened that caused a destabilizing feeling
• Appreciating that different people have different points of view about that destabilizing event
• Developing and resecuring trust, team cohesion, and a shared purpose

Leaders don't necessarily need to share their point of view about the destabilizing event, but they do need to be responsive to their employees' needs. The good news is that most employees simply need to hear that their managers and leaders care.

How do you do that?

Here are 12 tips:

1. Reach out. Do not ignore the problem and hope it will go away. Saying nothing still says a lot. (Check out the previous post if you are still working through how you feel about the situation.)

2. With the larger organization, focus on broader shared goals. It might be helpful to keep it short and simple: State that you are thinking of them and that you all share a higher-level mission/purpose. For example,

"We may all be feeling a different way about this. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on why we are here. Our customers/clients are counting on us to be there for them, and we need to stay focused and work together to make that happen more than ever."

3. Identify who might need more of a direct individual check-in. In larger all-employee meetings, people often feel less safe sharing their experiences (i.e., oversimplifying). Let them know they are welcome to come to you to talk further and ask questions about any impact the situation might have. In addition, be proactive in reaching out to people who might appreciate a more tailored check-in. Reference why you are reaching out based on what you have learned about them, but keep it open-ended and simple. For example:

"Sarah, I remember a conversation we had last month about [your mom who lives in Ukraine/your Palestinian heritage/your passion for LGBTQ rights]. I just wanted to check in given that conversation to see how you are doing in light of this week's events."

4. Do not assume you know how the person or team is feeling. People experience a crisis differently, are at different stages of processing it, and will have different perceptions based on their personal experiences and cultures. Stay neutral and ask open-ended questions about whether they want to talk through any worries or concerns they might have. Just say:

“I don’t want to assume I know how this might be affecting you. I wanted to check in and see how you are doing with all this.”

5. People who display anger and conflict are likely suffering and experiencing fear. Acknowledge this, humanize the situation, and convey your expectations:

“Everyone is trying to deal with this situation in their own way. Remember we are all humans. This affects us all. Remember not to take it out on someone else. Make sure not to make assumptions. Here are some resources we have to help you work through some of the reactions you might be having…”

6. Bring it back to shared experiences and meaning-making. Reflect:

“We all have a personal history that affects how we see this. Some of us have family members we might be worried about. We’re trying our best to make sense of this. We’ve been through other crises and it’s important we come together to get through this as well. Are there team members you can reach out to and check in?”

7. Acknowledge what is out of our control and what is within our control. Focus especially on creating a healthy, supportive work environment:

“There is a lot out of our control. Let’s talk about what is within our control that we can do to avoid making things worse and instead break down barriers.”

8. Acknowledge the interdependence needed for teams to function effectively. For example:

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“We may not all work together directly, but we’re all interdependent at some level. If you dismiss, ignore, or create unhealthy conflict with another employee on another team, it will negatively affect all of us. If you find ways to create bridges, it will have a positive effect and help us all.”

9. Help people reconnect with their empathy and the individuals behind destabilizing geopolitical concerns. For example:

“Remember there are large differences between and within people within groups who are involved. Peter and his team may be really worried about their family members; Marsha and her team may be worried about the impact on their local office; some of us at headquarters may be worried about being embroiled in political power moves. We all have different worries that can either cause us to use this crisis against each other or become better at developing more cohesive and aligned relationships. How can we aim for that latter?”

10. (Re)establish trust by developing helping relationships. Ideally, you will have already been working on developing strong trusting relationships well before a crisis hits so that the team and organization are better positioned to weather the impact together. If not, partner with others who have already established relationships and leverage their ability to connect with those who might be feeling especially disconnected or disenfranchised. Trust isn't just about being open and honest. It's also about our actions: How much do people demonstrate they are trying to help each other be successful? Could this be improved or enhanced?

11. Start at the top. The more proactive a leadership team has been in focusing on strengthening their team cohesion, interdependency, and how effectively they work together, the easier it is to navigate these crises together and help others in the organization do the same. If that hasn’t happened, this is the time to block off more time to build these basic foundational requirements. It’s hard to slow down when you are in the midst of putting out all the fires, but it’s the most critical time to do so.

12. Consider what messages of stability you can offer, but without sugarcoating it. In times of greater instability and uncertainty, employees will start to wonder whether they are in a stable work situation or not, which may affect retention and attrition. Consider what messages you can share to acknowledge what may feel uncertain while also communicating what you are doing to maintain stability. For example:

"Although it's not clear what impact this may have on our supply chain or funding, we are speaking with all our funders, vendors, and decision-makers and will keep you abreast of trends so we can ensure we maintain some level of stability where we have the influence to do so. We've been through this before and have learned many ways to weather these kinds of storms. We've developed many strong processes, have shown great resilience to events like this in the past, and feel confident we can do it again, even if it might be challenging for a while."

As a final note, remember that no one is great at these skills all the time. Give yourself and others grace and compassion.