Things Leaders Do

Communication Under Ambiguity: How Leaders Can Build Trust Without All the Answers

• Colby Morris

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Communication Under Ambiguity: How Leaders Can Build Trust Without All the Answers

Episode Description: As a leader, how do you communicate effectively when you don’t have all the answers? In this episode of The TLD Podcast, Colby Morris dives into the challenging yet essential skill of leading through ambiguity. Using real-world examples, Colby explores three actionable strategies to maintain trust, reduce anxiety, and guide your team when the future feels uncertain.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  1. How to acknowledge uncertainty while reassuring your team about what remains stable.
  2. The importance of focusing on actionable next steps to keep momentum during unclear times.
  3. Why committing to consistent communication—even without updates—builds trust and morale.

Colby also shares the story of a leader who faced declining sales and a disengaged team, illustrating how these strategies helped stabilize both morale and results. Whether you're navigating organizational change, market fluctuations, or internal challenges, this episode is packed with practical advice you can implement today.

Keywords for SEO and AEO: Leadership communication, leading through ambiguity, team trust, building morale, actionable leadership strategies, uncertainty management, workplace communication, leadership podcast, team motivation, Colby Morris.

CTA: Subscribe to The TLD Podcast for more actionable leadership insights. Don’t forget to share this episode with a fellow leader who could use encouragement. Connect with Colby Morris on LinkedIn  for more resources and discussions on effective leadership strategies. Or, visit Colby's website  for information about booking or contacting Colby. 


Speaker 1:

Welcome to Things Leaders Do, the podcast that uncovers the secrets of becoming an extraordinary leader. If you're a leader who's constantly seeking growth, inspiration and tangible ways to level up your leadership, then you've come to the right place. Remember, the world needs exceptional leaders, and that leader is you. Now here's your host, colby Morris is you.

Speaker 2:

Now here's your host, colby Morris. Hello leaders, and welcome back to the TLD podcast. I'm Colby Morris, your guide on this journey of actionable leadership tools and insights. I've led from every position of leadership frontline, middle management and executive roles and my job is to help you be a better leader faster. Today's topic I think it's close to home for a lot of leaders, and that's communicating with your team when you don't have all the answers. It's one of those high pressure scenarios that can make or break your trust and morale. So let's dive in.

Speaker 2:

Let me take you back to a time when I was a middle manager in a non-profit organization. We were about to go through a, let's say, a significant restructuring and the leadership team was very tight-lipped about the details. I was tasked with leading my team through the uncertainty, but the reality was I didn't know much more than they did. I mean, there were rumors, swirling layoffs, people in new roles, maybe even closures. Every day someone on my team's going. You know what's going on, what's going to happen to us, and every day I felt the pressure to give them answers that I just simply didn't have. Unfortunately, I didn't handle it well. Instead of being honest and transparent, I defaulted to those vague reassurances. I told my team things like everything will be fine or you know what? Just keep your heads down, do your work. Yeah, those empty statements did not inspire confidence. In fact, they really only increased my team's anxiety. They started to lose trust in me and I could see some serious frustration building. Looking back, I realized that my failure to communicate effectively in those moments that created a ripple effect that took months to repair. It was a tough lesson, but it did shape how I handle ambiguity today, so I'd like to walk you through three points in how to handle these situations.

Speaker 2:

The first is I want you to acknowledge the uncertainty, but reassure stability. Hmm, what does that mean? Well, let's break it down. When you're in a position where you don't have all the answers, the worst thing you can do is pretend that you do. Okay. People can sense when something's off and that false confidence or vague reassurances. That's only going to erode their trust. Instead, I want you to lean into the transparency. Say things like here's what I know and here's what I don't know. Yet that builds credibility, because your team sees you're at least being honest, okay. However, transparency doesn't mean creating chaos. Okay, pair your honesty with that clear message about what remains stable. For example, even if roles are uncertain, you can reassure your team that their contributions are still valued or that the organization is still committed to their growth. People need something, something solid to hold on to during those uncertain times, even if it's small. So here's your practical tip. So here's your practical tip During your next meeting, write down what you know for certain, what's unknown, and what your team should focus on actionable next steps.

Speaker 2:

Ambiguity it creates paralysis. Okay, your team might feel stuck, not, you know. They don't know where to go, where to direct their energy. And, as a leader, your job is to break that paralysis by giving them tangible next steps. Even if you don't have the big picture, you can still provide, you know, short-term direction that keeps the team moving. For instance, during that restructuring period, instead of those vague reassurances I gave, I could have said let's focus on completing project X by end of the quarter. Let's focus on completing project X by end of the quarter, okay. Short-term goals not only provide clarity, but also help the team feel that sense of accomplishment amidst that unknown. So here's your practical tip when facing ambiguity, I want you to identify two to three priorities that your team can focus on immediately. Okay, make these actionable and make them measurable. For example, let's meet our sales target for this month. Or let's finish the current client project with excellence, all right.

Speaker 2:

Number three I want you to commit to communicating regularly, even if you don't have updates. One of the biggest mistakes leaders make during this ambiguity is going silent. Silence breeds rumors and it breeds anxiety. Even if you don't have new information, regular communication signals that you're actively engaged and that your team is not forgotten. Remember, if you leave the blanks out there, eventually they're going to fill in the blanks with what is in their mind. Okay, this doesn't mean you need to be giving you know groundbreaking updates every week. Sometimes the update might just be hey, I don't have any new information yet, but here's what I'm going to do. Or here's what I'm doing to get answers. That consistency will build trust. You know why? Because your team knows you're in the trenches with them. So your practical tip here I want you to establish a communication cadence. Maybe it's weekly, like a weekly team meeting, maybe it's daily huddles, or you can do a quick Friday email out to the team, but stick to it.

Speaker 2:

Always leave room for questions or feedback from your team. Here's what a leader should do. Here's how you can put these points into action today. First, schedule a team meeting or send out a message to address any ambiguity that your team might be facing right now. Acknowledge what you know, what you don't and what's stable. Two, again, identify one to two short-term priorities your team can focus on and communicate them clearly. Be specific. Focus on and communicate them clearly. Be specific. Remember you're trying to give them something they can really cling to and focus on in that interim phase. And then, three, I want you to create a communication plan. You need to decide when and how you'll provide updates, moving forward, even if it's to say there's nothing new yet. Even if it's to say there's nothing new yet.

Speaker 2:

I want to close with a story about a leader I coached not too long ago. Let's call him Dan. Dan was the manager of a small team at a mid-sized company and that company was facing some pretty consistent declines in sales. The fear of closing was very real and Dan's team man, the morale, was at an all-time low. Rumors were flying, team members starting to disengage. Everyone thought their efforts were just futile. When Dan came to me, he admitted he didn't know how to handle the situation. He was overwhelmed and honestly unsure what to say to his team. Together we worked on a plan that incorporated the three points we've discussed today.

Speaker 2:

First, dan addressed the uncertainty head-on. In a team meeting he openly shared what he knew about the company's challenges and admitted what he didn't know about the future. But he didn't stop there. He reassured his team that their contributions still mattered and that every sale they made brought that company closer to disability. By being honest but still reassuring, he started to rebuild trust with his team. Next, we identified some actionable steps.

Speaker 2:

Dan worked with his team to set these short-term achievable goals. For example, he introduced a weekly sales target. That was well. It was realistic, but it was still challenging enough to keep that team motivated. He encouraged them to focus on things like retaining current clients by really providing exceptional service, something they could control even in uncertain times. These goals gave the team a sense of purpose and direction.

Speaker 2:

And finally, dan committed to regular communication. He began holding weekly check-ins where he updated the team on any new information and he reviewed their progress toward their sales targets. Even on the weeks when there was literally no news from upper management, dan still used that time to celebrate the small wins and he could also address the very real concerns. This consistency, just according to Dan he said it just calmed the team's nerves and it actually kept them focused on what they could control. Over time, as you can imagine, dan's efforts really paid off. The team's morale improved, their productivity increased, they began hitting their sales targets more consistently and, of course, anytime that happens, that's going to help stabilize the company's financial situation. More importantly, dan earned the trust and respect of his team by leading with clarity, honesty and purpose during that time.

Speaker 2:

Okay, that's the power of effective communication under ambiguity. So, leaders, don't let uncertainty silence you. Acknowledge the ambiguity, focus on what can be done, commit to consistent communication. If you'll do this, you will earn your team's trust, you'll earn their respect and you will lead them through that fog to clarity. Remember to subscribe to the TLD podcast and share this episode with another leader who you feel could use some encouragement today. Okay, if you're somebody out there, just hit share episode, send it to them, say, hey, I thought you could help, I thought you could use some help, or whatever, you know how that person would receive it Right. Connect with me on LinkedIn. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic and any others that you'd like to discuss. We're having some great conversations over there on LinkedIn. Also, don't forget, I'm available for corporate events, trainings, webinars, anything that you or your company may need. Until next time, go lead, well, lead through that ambiguity. And you know why? Because those are the things that leaders do.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do. If you're looking for more tips on how to be a better leader, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and listen to next week's episode. Until next time, keep working on being a better leader by doing the things that leaders do.