Building High-Performing Teams in Turbulent Times
The air in the marketplace feels thick with uncertainty.
The economic impacts of the tariff bullwhip are driving a corporate contraction in the marketplace — budget cuts, hiring freezes, and the gut-wrenching reality of layoffs.
This latest challenge lands on already weary shoulders, following a turbulent journey through COVID, wildfires, relentless news cycles, market swings, and the persistent threat of recession.
Yet, leaders are once again tasked with making difficult decisions that ripple through the lives of their teams – individuals planning for homes, families, and futures.
This constant flux takes its toll: change fatigue, dwindling productivity, eroded leadership confidence, weakened psychological safety, job insecurity, disengaged employees, stalled life plans, and tightened spending. The list goes on.
So, how do we help our teams build high performance in the face of these challenges?
To answer this, I find myself drawing upon 15+ years of navigating complex situations as a consultant:
Facilitating strategy and prioritization processes to make decisions around investments for high-impact returns in technology, marketing, and digital.
Helping leaders plan change adoption and communications through complex, high-stakes transformations such as a move to third-party or offshore shared services.
Facilitating leadership and teaming workshops to create trust, cohesion, and high performing teams in supply chain and analytics teams.
Standing up as a leader as an organization was faced with culture-shaping news headlines and rulings that rattled core values and ways of working.
Serving leadership to teams through conversations of shrinking revenue forecasts and potential layoff rounds in consulting and professional services.
Resetting team norms and operating models after significant changes such as a reorganization, leadership departure, or new hires.
I can empathize with how challenging it is to be a leader, manager, employee, and consultant during this time. These experiences have taught me core leadership and consulting principles that are critical when faced unfortunate circumstances that have real consequences:
Support the whole human.
When we consider that our teams are so much more than the work they do each day, we develop an empathy that drives more thoughtful change planning and communications that helps humans live their lives.
A practical application of this: Invite a conversation around what life looks like outside of work. Interest creates connection.
Communicate often.
When we maintain a steady stream of updates whether those are positive, iterative, incomplete, uncertain, or definitive, we create a sense that teams are included and part of the change rather that a bystander to it.
For example: Schedule regular checkins and give brief updates even if you don’t have major updates. Transparency builds trust.
Honor the trauma.
When we acknowledge and identify that a workplace experience was in fact traumatic in different ways for different people, we generate acceptance of the circumstances that allow us to move into a more productive zone together. Oftentimes it is the lack of acknowledgement and expression that gets us stuck.
Consider: Host a listening session with guidelines to acknowledge the collective experience. Maintain an open door policy for 1:1 processing. Collective processing can create bonds.
Be empathetic and authentic.
When we create the space for teams to express what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling without judgement, we begin to create safety. When teams feel the safety to express and name their experience, they can move forward through the workplace trauma and upset. They also feel safe to steer the company toward greater outcomes.
This could look like: Set up “an elephant in the room” anonymous jar, form, or email submission to discuss tough questions or comments as a team. Discussing allows for processing.
Focus on total resilience.
When we talk openly about what makes us resilient inside and outside of work, we can free up energy and headspace to do our most creative, focused, thoughtful work that drives business outcomes. It’s when we don’t have a plan or safety net for unplanned circumstances that we can get distracted, worried, and lose productivity and performance.
To illustrate: Ask teams what they’ve learned and how they will prepare for uncertainty to develop a muscle for resilience. Share resources on stress management and wellbeing. Readiness creates resilience.
Co-create the future together.
When we invite teams into the process of defining the future — even if it’s in small ways such as establishing norms or an operating model, we give agency over their futures. Shared ownership on the change, its impacts, and its solutions can help move people more quickly through it.
You might try: Host a workshop to design team vision, mission, goals, norms, roles, operating models, engagement models, and more. Inviting collaboration creates ownership.
The conversations I’m having with leaders at this time often take me back to my own experiences.
I recall 1:1s with a direct report anticipating layoffs. Our conversations shifted from fears to proactive workplace and life resilience strategies: organized finances, updated resumes, completed doctor’s appointments, engaged personal networks, strong support systems, stress management tactics, and a sense of self worth outside of work. Following layoffs, this direct report continued to schedule 1:1s for guidance and support. I have enjoyed the continued life, career, and personal growth updates.
You, too, can be this leader for someone.
Ultimately, navigating the turbulence requires a deep commitment to our people. By supporting their whole selves, communicating openly and honestly, honoring the impact of these challenges, leading with empathy and authenticity, focusing on collective resilience, and co-creating the path forward, we can not only weather this storm but also emerge stronger and more connected.
What's one principle you'll focus on implementing this week?
