Marc Haine says leaders should tell employees the truth about business struggles instead of staying silent. Gossip spreads faster and damages morale more than honest disclosure. Open communication, listening to concerns, and explaining context can preserve culture and rally the team.
What can leaders do to make a positive employee and a positive workplace if business is going badly? Number 1, open up communications. That's the number 1 thing you have to do. We must open up lines of communication. We must let people know what's going on because here's the thing. Our first reaction is we better keep our mouths shut. We better not say anything because we don't want people to jump ship. I can tell you that the water cooler talk is going to be far more damaging to you, to your culture, to morale than anything thing you could say openly and honestly to your people. Open lines of communication. Understand where they're coming from when you tell them the bad news. It can make the really the best of a really bad situation. And who knows? You just might have a whole team of people rallying behind you to make life better.
