When uncertainty surges, it’s natural for leaders to focus inward, cutting costs, stockpiling cash, and protecting the core business. But this instinct can damage trust with the very people your success depends on. Instead, flip your focus outward. Your stakeholders—customers, employees, suppliers, and shareholders—are navigating uncertainty, too. Here’s how to be a steady hand and alleviate their anxiety.
Be a source of predictability. Act decisively and transparently, and communicate consistently. Remove unnecessary barriers and go out of your way to demonstrate reliability, even when things around you are volatile.
Create moments of certitude. Make commitments you’re confident you’ll be able to keep, share knowns amid the unknowns, and use your privileged access to information to clarify what others can count on. Small moments of certainty can build lasting trust.
Absorb some of the cost of instability. Instead of passing every risk onto your stakeholders, cushion the blow. Use your resources and resilience to stabilize pricing, protect jobs, or maintain service. Small actions can show you’re prioritizing relationships over short-term gains. |
