Hi there,

In today's Thought piece, I'm privileged to feature an insightful article by Bree Groff, a transformational leader who combines organizational design, innovation, and human-centered approaches in her work with Fortune 500 companies. As an advisor to leaders a companies like Google, Microsoft, and Calvin Klein, she reveals the surprising truth about leadership during times of change - and why cheerleading might be the last thing your team actually needs.

Let's dive in!
— Matt

The most important role you can play for your team during rapid change

Perhaps as a leader you're bursting with main character energy, but during times of rapid change and innovation, your team needs something else from you:

They need you to be the narrator.

During times of change, a leader’s first instinct is often to step up as the cheerleader of the future. They paint the vision. They end all talking points on high notes. They couch the hard stuff in euphemisms and dip into their bag of trusty leadership phrases for classics like "market potential" and "get on board".

The truth is, leadership is not cheerleading. I should know because I've done both. (If we ever meet, feel free to ask me about my cheerleading scars, complete with implanted plates and screws.)

Cheerleaders have one job: keep it positive!

Because I've never known a cheer that went: It's okay! It's okay! Though we've tried, work's hard today!

Leaders have quite another job (among many), and that's to help their people feel seen and supported so that they can tackle anything that comes their way. Vision is good, yes. So is foresight and encouragement. But I'd like to officially protest the vision of the one-dimensional, ever-confident, show-no-fear leader. It's exhausting for the leader and simply not effective.

Think about being jolted awake by someone chirping "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" When you're exhausted, does that enthusiasm make you want to leap out of bed? I imagine it more likely made you want to throw your pillow at that person and go back to sleep. Perhaps you've even been that person yourself? (Duck!)

I was talking with a friend recently who was on an intense sprint with his team—lots was changing around them. He was working all hours and knew the team was, too. And yet he felt the need to present as positive and encouraging because the leader above him was presenting this way. He said to me, privately, "This is insane! Can't we just say this is insane?"

Adam Grant says it well: "In hard times, urging people to stay positive doesn't boost their resilience. It denies their reality."

So what does it sound like to be a narrator for your team? How can you help them process the moment, whether good, bad, or simply fast? It might sound like this:

"Team, this week has been intense. I didn't expect so many pivots, and I hated that we had to work late on Wednesday. I'm personally kind of annoyed and exhausted by it all, but also I feel hopeful that we're past it and we'll definitely know for next time how to prepare. How are you all feeling?"

This kind of honest narration matters. Research by Barsade, Ward, Turner, and Sonnenfeld shows that when team members experience different unacknowledged emotional states, performance suffers. Imagine a team where one person is having a grand ol' time, another is struggling, one is confused, and one just doesn't care. Doesn't feel like a very tight team, does it?

The solution isn't forcing everyone to feel the same way. Try using what parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy calls the "two things are true" approach:

"We can be proud of what we accomplished this week and never want to repeat that intensity." "We can be excited about all the AI we're integrating and also find it overwhelming."

When you acknowledge reality – even when it's messy – your team can move forward knowing they're seen. And don't forget to narrate the wins too! After a great meeting, don't let silence linger. Be the one to say, "Team, we absolutely killed it in there!"

Because I can't tell you how many times a great meeting will end and everyone is silent, just waiting for the leader to declare that it was indeed great. So if you're the leader: CALL THE WIN!

Much love,
— Bree

Bree Groff is the author of the upcoming book, Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously). Pre-order today and subscribe to Bree’s weekly newsletter about how to have better days at work (and in life).

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