Reducing Anxiety in Your Organization
In a changing world the level of anxiety people experience increases as they become less clear on what is happening, more uncertain as to how it will affect them, and increasingly unsure about what to do. You will feel this for yourself, and your team will be feeling it too. So what can we do to counteract this and reduce the level of anxiety in the organization? Here are several tips to help you:
- Be transparent and simply tell the story. Don’t assume everybody already knows how the turbulence is affecting your business. They need to hear exactly what is happening and the need to hear is often. Be clear about the reality and don’t fall into the trap of sounding more optimistic than you should.
- Talk about what’s next. If you have a strategy, spell it out in clear terms. If you don’t, say so and ask for help. Describe what has to happen and what everyone’s role must be. Give people the chance to share their feelings, concerns and, most of all, their ideas. Clarity reduces fear, even if what is made clear isn’t very positive. So as leaders we must talk straight and listen with empathy to the concerns of our teams.
- Take action. Once you have a suitable strategy in place then take action and look to achieve quick wins whilst moving in the long-term direction. Procrastination at this point will only allow uncertainty to resurface and anxiety to return,
Use these steps for yourself and your team, and help them to cascade it to their people in turn.
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