Picture yourself standing between crashing waves and a sandcastle. That's what being a middle manager feels like during a downturn—you're the barrier between organisational turbulence and your team's stability. It's a thankless job that goes far beyond the standard duties of 'giving feedback' and 'delegating tasks'.
Provided that a company culture maintains a basic level of trust, managers are often the first point of contact for employees feeling unsafe after receiving bad corporate news. Constantly being on the receiving end of complaints and criticism can feel draining and demoralising.
However, the effort you will take towards navigating difficult times will make or break your management career.
There Is No Shortage of Reasons for Uncertainty
Let's take a closer look at the possible sources of uncertainty within your team:
Economic downturns and financial turmoil: During market crashes, companies often implement significant cost-cutting measures to weather the storm. These decisions can freeze hiring, limit professional development opportunities, and create an environment where team members constantly worry about potential layoffs.
Reorganisations and restructures: Being acquired by another company can bring good news for some employees, but for others, it may lead to unnecessary mergers, layoffs, and a general sense of unease.
Global events: Major global events can profoundly affect team members, especially those from underrepresented groups or those living in regions with unstable political climates.
Layoffs: Team members who remain in the company after layoff rounds may experience grief and survivor's guilt, worrying they might be the next to go.
Inconsistent communication from leadership: Team members appreciate being in the loop, especially when they have no control over the situation. If executive leadership fails to communicate a change in strategy transparently, it can lead to rumours and speculation within the team.
Silencing your inner saboteur
During trying times that affect everyone in a company, it might not be easy to do the right thing as a manager. The tiny, selfish voice in your head might urge you to avoid the hard stuff and let the situation resolve on its own.
That's a bad idea. Situations like these have a way of blowing up in your face when you don't take the time to defuse them carefully. An employee gets fed up and leaves; you have to pick up their work and start the hiring process for their replacement at the same time. You get ambushed by the team during morning standup with questions you didn't take the time to answer when needed. People hear others' gossip and rumours and take it at face value because you didn't get the time to set things straight.
Here are some common self-preserving thoughts that will harm your management practice:
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“If I avoid talking about it, they will forget it.”
Pretending everything is normal or avoiding the tough discussions as they arise is you sticking your head in the sand, full stop. Don't ignore the elephant in the room. Acknowledge the situation in a separate meeting, listen to your team and validate their feelings. Tell them it's ok to feel uncertain, anxious or frustrated. You can share your frustration but not your opposition to a tough executive decision. Give them time to vent, and gently nudge the conversation to a more productive direction, helping the team to disagree and commit.
“I will join their complaints about bad executive decisions, and they’ll see I’m on their side.”
Trying to fit in with the team by joining them in badmouthing unpleasant executive decisions is one of the most selfish mistakes in management. Andrew Bosworth, CEO at Meta, posits that this "us versus them" mentality creates a culture of victimhood, eventually degrading into resentment and martyrdom. People will leave frustrated, and you'd have undermined your credibility with your manager. It's a lose-lose situation.
“If I’m vague and avoid giving them direct answers, they will stop asking me questions.”
Set up a meeting where you clearly communicate the situation and open the floor for questions. If you have trouble with internal messaging, Lara Hogan has created what she calls a Tick Tock Doc template you can use to communicate bad news to your team. If you don't know the answer to a question, admit that, ask for more time and make sure to follow up when you have news. Don't isolate yourself or make yourself hard to reach, believing people will eventually stop bothering you. The best approach is an "open door" policy where team members are encouraged to share their worries.
“I’ll just tell them what they want to hear for now.”
This one will bite you hard. You should be honest with your team about things not in your control. Picture this scenario: a team member comes to you with a promotion request you think they deserve, so you promise them that in your next 1:1 meeting. What happens if that request gets denied because of budget limitations? Focus on what you can control: helping your team member develop the competencies they need to reach the next level and finding ways to increase their impact (what James Stanier calls a "workback plan"). What you can't control: promotion decisions. Don't set yourself up for failure.
"I need to put all my energy into my team. If I take care of myself, I'll look selfish.”
Remember the old airline adage: "Put your masks first before helping other passengers". If you keep draining the well of your resilience, you'll be left with nothing. Try to be as gentle to yourself as you are towards your team members. Check in with your manager if you need to, limit after-hours work, set boundaries with the team and take the time you need to address your own needs. You cannot help others if you're burned out.
Managing Through the Psychodrama
When uncertainty hits, the workplace can transform into what Christine Armstrong calls "the psychodrama of work". People begin creating narratives - casting themselves and others as heroes, victims, or villains. Team members might band together against leadership, or departments might turn against each other. As a manager, you might find yourself cast as both protagonist and antagonist, depending on the day.
Understanding this dynamic is crucial for maintaining perspective as a manager. When you give in to self-sabotaging thoughts as above - by avoiding conversations or telling people what they want to hear - you become another character in the drama rather than helping your team navigate it. Instead, you should acknowledge the reality of their feelings while providing answers and guiding conversations toward what's within their control. Your role isn't to shield your team from reality but to help them view it more clearly and respond more productively.