Leaders Must Build Trust Through Honest Communication
Leaders must stop communicating certainty and start building trust with employees by being honest about what they know and don't know, according to PR Daily. This approach helps employees navigate significant change and uncertainty.
Original reporting · prdaily.com
Original: “Stop communicating certainty. Start building trust.”
Read “Stop communicating certainty. Start building trust.” at PR Daily →
How this was written. Message Verified wrote this article with a language model from PR Daily’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from PR Daily’s report
- Leaders must stop communicating certainty and start building trust with employees through honest communication.
- Employees can handle uncertainty, but they struggle with silence, vague reassurances, or feeling like their concerns haven't been considered.
- Communicators should be involved earlier in the decision-making process to help leadership clarify the strategy and identify gaps.
- Trust is built in what happens next, and leaders must follow through on their promises and continue to show up as the answers evolve.
- Good communication can't make every unpopular decision popular, but it can make difficult changes more successful.
Over the past 25 years, organizations have navigated significant change, often with leaders making decisions that employees may not like, such as return-to-office mandates or office relocations. According to PR Daily, leaders have turned to communication teams to explain the decision and get employees on board, but this approach may not be effective. Employees are concerned about how the decision affects their lives, and no amount of messaging can make those concerns disappear.
Leaders often assume that communication begins once the decision is final, but this approach can lead to employees feeling like something is being done to them rather than with them. PR Daily reported that this lesson applies to various situations, including AI transformation. The source cited the example of Duolingo's AI-first announcement, which had a compelling business case but was communicated poorly, leading to concerns about job replacement.
The Duolingo announcement quickly became a story about AI replacing people, with employees and customers focusing on jobs and opportunities. However, the company's CEO later clarified that AI would not replace employees and that the company was continuing to hire. This example highlights the importance of clear communication in times of change. As PR Daily noted, people don't need every answer, but they need honesty and a willingness to listen to their concerns.
Employees can handle uncertainty, but they struggle with silence, vague reassurances, or feeling like their concerns haven't been considered. Leaders should focus on acknowledging what people are asking and providing honest answers, even if it means saying 'we don't know yet.' This approach helps build trust and makes difficult changes more understandable and humane. PR Daily emphasized that developing communication can help shape the decision and force leaders to think through the implications of their decisions.
Communicators should be involved earlier in the decision-making process to help leadership clarify the strategy and identify gaps. This approach doesn't mean delaying decisions until everyone agrees, but rather using communication to prepare the organization for change. As PR Daily reported, trust is built in what happens next, and leaders must follow through on their promises and continue to show up as the answers evolve. This requires a shift from announcing decisions to bringing people through change.
Ultimately, good communication can't make every unpopular decision popular, but it can make difficult changes more successful. Leaders must listen, explain what they've heard, make adjustments where possible, and be candid about what won't change. By taking this approach, leaders can build trust with their employees and navigate significant change more effectively. PR Daily noted that this approach requires a willingness to be honest about what leaders know and don't know, and to continue to show up as the answers evolve.
By involving communicators earlier in the decision-making process and being honest about what they know and don't know, leaders can build trust and make difficult changes more understandable and humane. This approach requires a shift in mindset, from communicating certainty to building trust through honest communication. As PR Daily emphasized, trust doesn't come from leaders always knowing what happens next, but from being honest about what they know, acknowledging what they don't, and continuing to show up as the answers evolve.
Questions and answers
Why do leaders struggle to communicate effectively in times of change?
Leaders often assume that communication begins once the decision is final, and they focus on what they've decided and why it makes business sense, rather than considering the concerns and questions of their employees.
How can leaders build trust with their employees in times of change?
Leaders can build trust by being honest about what they know and don't know, listening to employee concerns, and following through on their promises.
What role should communicators play in the decision-making process?
Communicators should be involved earlier in the decision-making process to help leadership clarify the strategy, identify gaps, and prepare the organization for change.
