A good leader articulates a vision for the future. They explain to the people who work with them why change is necessary, and – as much as they can – what the future state will look like.
But, with all of the political and economic uncertainty going on in the U.S. right now, it is hard to have a strong vision for the future. You may have short term plans – stockpile materials, hold off on anticipated expansions, cut small-scale costs. But long-term? Probably not, or at least not yet.
It can be hard to know what to say right now to the people who rely on us to have that clear vision.
What do we say when we don’t know the answers just yet? It’s our job as leaders to have the answers, after all. Here are a few ideas for your initial responses:
1. Be honest about the uncertainty. You are learning about tariffs, emerging economic policies, federal contract cuts, and other changes at the same time as your people are. What is happening at the macro level is not your fault, and trust your people to know that.
2. Do not act as if you have a plan, unless you do. Acknowledge that during transition and uncertainty, you need time to see what is actually happening and what the effects are, in order to formulate a useful long-term response.
3. Announce your plans only when you are ready to implement them. You’ll be doing a lot of planning in the background, and some of those plans will end up suspended or discarded. Only share plans that you intend to take action on in the near future. This gives you space to change your responses without creating more uncertainty among the people who rely on you.