We are living in interesting times

Major economic experts can’t agree on whether we’re already in a recession, we’re about to have one, or we’re fine. We’re seeing wily new COVID variants and monkeypox. And then there’s Elon. We’ll find out in October whether contracts still mean anything. If you enjoy certainty or predictability, these are hard times. So what can you do?

Over-communicate: Whenever conditions are uncertain, leaders get a lot of questions that feel like “Are we there yet?” Those questions are a conscious or unconscious cry for help. Help your team. Connect more. If you used to have a big All Hands once a month, how about moving to a short, Q&A-heavy update once a week? Start meetings with a reminder of what we do and do not know. Take more 1:1 meetings with your team, customers, and partners. Even if you don’t have answers, you can listen. When people express their fears, they feel more equipped to face them. We’re all in this together. The more we talk and connect, the more we’ll feel like we can face whatever comes.

Encourage and celebrate: Things are hard now. But you and your team have done hard things before. Remind them. “We salvaged that acquisition, we migrated our code base.” We feel strong when we see evidence that we’ve been strong before. It’s just as important to celebrate the great things your team is doing right now. “Wow, that hybrid keynote was fantastic! We pulled off a great user conference!” We all want to feel seen and valued. Praise and recognition help people do even more heroic things.

Hold on loosely: You can’t be nimble and resilient if you can’t let go of plans that no longer work. Maybe your annual plan needs to become a quarterly plan. Maybe you need to pivot. Again. If your reasoning and values are sound you can communicate anything. It just takes courage. Which you have.

These days, the voice in my head is Lady Gaga. When Oprah asked her how she created so much despite the obstacles she has faced, Stephanie Germanotta, in her wonderful New York accent, said “You know what Oprah, I just keep going.”