Being clear is the greatest gift you can give your team right now

CLEAR is the game changing element of the Courageous Leadership framework. Right now, while operating in a pandemic and leading virtual teams, clarity is paramount. You may not be able to deliver answers in the moment, but you can be clear about what you expect during times of uncertainty. Remembering to relay those expectations to your team is “the work” for leaders right now. It’s amazing how often we forget to take that step - believe me, I am in the struggle with you on this one! 

As you reflect on your clear leadership, it may help to consider the neuroscience context. Right now, our brains are overloaded with navigating new ways of working, managing ambiguity and emotional stress. This likely means that our amygdala is working overtime, and our prefrontal cortex, where good quality thinking and decision-making happens, is under-functioning; hence, the need to be clear across every domain is essential. A dose of patience with yourself and others will help you be clear and kind in these times of uncertainty. 

Clear Expectations

I spent most of my career hoping people would read my mind. An exaggeration perhaps, but there are kernels of truth! As a leader I would skip the step of describing what I expected from the finished product, and then was frustrated when my staff missed the mark - the mark they didn’t know existed because I hadn’t taken the time to map it out or describe how complete would look. I wasn’t clear about my expectations. 

When staff are struggling and you find yourself frustrated with their performance, have a look in the mirror first; check in on whether you have been clear about your expectations. Part two of this scenario is to remember that even if you thought you were clear, how your staff member received the message may have been different. I encourage the practice of asking “what are you taking away from our conversation?” and that will tell you what people heard and interpreted about your expectations. 

Clear Communication

Now that we are working in virtual teams, the opportunity for assumptions and misunderstandings is higher than ever. We are missing the physical cues we get from body language and the tone we use in language is lost in our texts and emails. Humour, sarcasm and wit can misfire if we aren’t careful. Many of the subtle clues we rely on are missing in our virtual settings so being clear with our communication is essential. It is also helpful to remember that our brains are literally overloaded right now. Communication may need to be repeated, simplified or shared both verbally and in writing. I know that my overloaded brain is missing details and deep, focused work is more challenging for me right now. 

Clear Support

My growth as a leader lies firmly in this bucket. I have always struggled to ask for help or support because I was raised to value independence. To be honest, I may have taken that a little too far and become overly self-reliant! While being independent served me well in the early years of my business, at this stage of growth, I need to be able to receive and offer support in healthy ways. If I am not clear about how my team can support me with both strategy and tasks, I risk becoming resentful when my mind isn’t read and those needs aren’t met. 

On the other side of the coin, I want to provide support to my team by creating space for checking in, understanding how their emotional well being and making sure they have a support system. This is a healthy boundary that I talk to clients about -  as their leader, you don’t need to be the one to provide all of the emotional and mental support, but ensuring your team has a support system and is accessing available resources is your role as leader. 

Over to you

Where are you planning to slow down and practice the Clear piece of the Courageous Leadership puzzle? To go deeper, enroll in our FREE 7 day Courageous Leadership Micro Course. Get the support you are looking for, to show up as the leader you want to be, for the people you lead.