Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building and GOLAJV. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul
Speaker 1: fella Aledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode six forty one. Today we're talking about something
Speaker 2: that can either steady your organization or quietly tear it apart.
Speaker 2: Crisis messaging. When things go sideways, people do not only
Speaker 2: watch what you do, they watch what you say and
Speaker 2: how you say it. A crisis does not automatically destroy morale.
Speaker 2: Confusion does, silence does, and mixed signals do. Your words
Speaker 2: during a crisis either lower the emotional temperature or spike it.
Speaker 2: And here's the truth. Most leaders talk too much when
Speaker 2: they're nervous and not enough when people actually need clarity.
Speaker 2: If you want to calm and motivate at the same time,
Speaker 2: you need discipline in your messaging. So let me give
Speaker 2: you a framework that works in the real world. First,
Speaker 2: acknowledge reality without amplifying fear. Your team already knows something
Speaker 2: is wrong, they can feel it. Pretending everything is fine
Speaker 2: destroys credibility in seconds. At the same time, dramatic language
Speaker 2: spreads anxiety like wildfire. So you say something like this,
Speaker 2: here is what we know, here is what we do
Speaker 2: not know yet, and here is what we're doing next.
Speaker 2: It's simple, clear and grounded. That structure lowers panic because
Speaker 2: it gives people something solid to hold on to. Second,
Speaker 2: define the standard. In a crisis. Behavior drifts, People speculate,
Speaker 2: they fill in gaps, they look for someone to blame.
Speaker 2: You must reset the standard quickly. You say, this is
Speaker 2: how we operate under pressure. We communicate respectfully, we stick
Speaker 2: to facts, and we support each other. You're not giving
Speaker 2: a motivational speech. You're reminding them of who they are.
Speaker 2: Culture is fragile during uncertainty. Your words protect it. Third,
Speaker 2: give people a job. Idle teams become anxious teams When
Speaker 2: people do not know their role in a crisis, they
Speaker 2: imagine worst case scenarios. When they have a clear assignment,
Speaker 2: their focus shifts from fear to action. Even small roles
Speaker 2: matter like this. You are responsible for checking in with clients.
Speaker 2: You are responsible for updating the dashboard. You are responsible
Speaker 2: for monitoring feedback. Clarity reduces chaos. Fourth, avoid emotional whiplash.
Speaker 2: One of the worst things a leader can do in
Speaker 2: a crisis is wing between extremes. Monday you say this
Speaker 2: is catastrophic. Tuesday you say it's no big deal. That
Speaker 2: inconsistency makes your team question everything. Steady leaders create steady teams.
Speaker 2: You do not have to be robotic. You could acknowledge concern,
Speaker 2: You can admit frustration. You can say this is tough.
Speaker 2: But your tone must signal control. People borrow emotional cues
Speaker 2: from the leader. If you look scattered, they will feel scattered.
Speaker 2: If you look anchored, they will settle fifth protect the future.
Speaker 2: Crisis messaging is not only about survival. It is about direction.
Speaker 2: If your communication only focuses on damage, people begin to
Speaker 2: believe damages all there is. You must articulate a path forward,
Speaker 2: something like this is what we are stabilizing, This is
Speaker 2: what we are learning. This is how we will be
Speaker 2: stronger when this passes. That is motivation rooted in realism,
Speaker 2: not hype. Now let me give you a practical script
Speaker 2: model you can use tomorrow. Start with clarity. We are
Speaker 2: facing a serious challenge. Here are the facts as they
Speaker 2: stand today. Now move to ownership. This is on me
Speaker 2: to lead through. You will not carry this alone. Now
Speaker 2: shift to structure. Here's what happens next. Here is what
Speaker 2: I expect from each of you, an end with confidence.
Speaker 2: We have handled hard things before, we will handle this together.
Speaker 2: Do you notice what's missing? No corporate buzzwords, no empty slogans,
Speaker 2: no vague promises. Crisis messaging that calms and motivates, is grounded,
Speaker 2: specific and steady, and let me challenge you with something deeper.
Speaker 2: Communication is a red key moment. This is one of
Speaker 2: those defining points where your credibility either compounds or erodes.
Speaker 2: You cannot delegate your voice in these moments. If your
Speaker 2: team hears from rumors before they hear from you, you've
Speaker 2: already lost ground. Speed matters, accuracy matters, tone matters, and
Speaker 2: silence is not neutral. Now Here is your seven minute
Speaker 2: leadership challenge for today. Write a crisis message before you
Speaker 2: need it seriously. Draft a template for supply chain disruption,
Speaker 2: for a public relations issue, for a sudden staffing shortage,
Speaker 2: for a revenue hit. When your mind is calm, build
Speaker 2: the words you want to use when things are not calm.
Speaker 2: Because under pressure, people default to habit. If you have
Speaker 2: not practiced your messaging, you will ramble over a explain
Speaker 2: or freeze. Preparation is respect for your people. And one
Speaker 2: more thing. After the first message goes out, your job
Speaker 2: is not done. Repetition is reassurance. Update consistently, even if
Speaker 2: the update is no new changes since yesterday. Predictable communication
Speaker 2: builds trust. Unpredictable communication builds stress. If you want to
Speaker 2: calm and motivate, you must become the metronome of clarity
Speaker 2: in your organization, measured, consistent and reliable. So in every crisis,
Speaker 2: your team is asking one silent question, are we going
Speaker 2: to be okay? Your messaging is the answer. Speak with honesty,
Speaker 2: speak with steadiness, speak with ownership. Do that and you
Speaker 2: will not only calm your team, you will move them forward.
Speaker 2: And if you want more free leadership resources, head over
Speaker 2: to Paulfaloalito dot com click on free Stuff. I have
Speaker 2: over twenty five free leadership documents you can download and
Speaker 2: start using today. This has been a seven minute leadership
Speaker 2: podcast and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fello Alito podcasts, visit Paulfellowalito dot com