4 Things You Can Do Tomorrow to Not Be a Tone Deaf Leader

friends,

The world feels unbearably heavy right now. Tomorrow’s going to be hard for a lot of people. I know it might feel impossible for some of you.

If you’re leading people tomorrow, this is for you...

People are being murdered in the streets. Protests erupting across the nation. Historic snowstorms trapping families. I don’t care where you land politically—this is simply another brutal reminder that people aren’t okay.

And the last thing anyone cares about right now is filling out that spreadsheet, updating their status report, or hitting their Q1 targets.

So please. Don’t be the leader who walks into Monday pretending nothing is happening.

You don’t need a polished statement. You don’t need to ask everyone to process their feelings in a team meeting. That’s not what I’m suggesting.

But you do need to be human tomorrow.

And here’s the thing: you don’t have to lead people to be a leader tomorrow.

You don’t need answers. You don’t need a plan. You don’t need to rally the troops or inspire anyone through the chaos.

You just need to see people. And let them know you see them.

Here are four simple things you can do:

1. Acknowledge reality at the start of meetings

“Before we dive in, I just want to acknowledge that the world feels really heavy right now. If you’re distracted or not at your best today, that makes complete sense. Let’s do what we can and give each other grace.”

2. Ask how people actually are in your 1:1s

“Hey—how are you actually doing? Not the work stuff. You, as a person, with everything happening right now.”

3. Send a message that gives permission to be human

“Team—I know there’s a lot happening in the world that’s bigger than our work right now. If you need space today, take it. If you need to talk, my door’s open. We’ll figure out the work.”

4. Notice when someone seems off

“I noticed you seem a bit distant today. No pressure to share, but I want you to know I see you and I’m here if you need anything.”

That’s it.

You don’t need to fix it. You just need to acknowledge that your people are human beings living through something hard.

Because the leaders people remember aren’t the ones who kept the machine running during a crisis.

They’re the ones who saw them. Who paused. Who said, “I know this is hard.”

sending you so much love wherever you are,

m

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Follow The Leader is created for the people leaders who care about serving people. If these insights resonate with you and you're interested in bringing our expertise into your organization for speaking, workshops, or facilitation, reach out to maya@ourbestwork.co.