“DUH, Marya. If we had all the information we needed, there wouldn’t be uncertainty.” Ok, ok, that’s true. The more transparent and open with information an organization and leaders can be, the stronger the culture and of course, the stronger the trust among all on the team. If we know this, then why are organizations so protective of information? Why are we not being more transparent in our words, decisions, and actions?

Change and uncertainty create fear, and when that happens, OOOF, the armor goes up. Trust lessens, self-protection gets stronger, teamwork lessens, culture shifts to a more negative space, and more. Sounds so positive, huh? Ha. This isn’t about being negative. It’s about admitting, shit can be scary.

When I’m asked to work with teams regarding change, uncertainty, loss of trust, frustration, etc., I find it absolutely necessary to spend time bringing it back to self-reflection. It frustrates the hell out of a lot of people. “How is this going to help us be successful? I already know who I am. I don’t have time for this shit.”