Finish Strong to Start Strong: Communicating through Chaos

Communicating through chaos: how great managers create clarity & calm when everything else feels crazy

The end of year can feel like a perfect storm with deadlines piling up, priorities shifting, team members out on PTO, and leaders above you pushing for “just one more update.”

When things get chaotic, most managers unintentionally pull back on communication because they don’t want to overwhelm their team or they think its better to provide an update “once things settle down”.

But times of chaos requires more communication in order to keep your team calm and focused, and waiting to communicate can have a negative effect on your team.

Here’s why: Silence gets filled with assumptions

When your team doesn’t know what’s going on, they guess. And guesses usually are never good.

Instead, a simple note from you such as “Here’s what I know today, here’s what I don’t know yet, and here is what we are focusing on right now” can bring immediate calm and help your team focus on what is most important.

When you provide proactive updates, it helps them think “okay, my manager’s got this, I don’t need to worry about it” and it allows them to focus on what matters right now.

3 things you can do to create calm and clarity during a chaotic & crazy year-end

1. Frequent updates create stability || Short, frequent touchpoints throughout the week (even just 5-10 minutes) can help your team understand what matters most, what is changing, and where they need to lean in or pivot. These micro-updates help your team stay aligned instead of spinning.

2. Your tone sets the emotional temperature for your team || Your team is watching how you communicate just as much as they are listening to what you communicate. Remember: A calm leader focuses on clarity and transparency (where possible). A calm leader pauses before responding to urgent requests, asks clarifying questions, and models thoughtfulness instead of reactivity.

3. Over-communicating is always beneficial || Clarity happens through repetition, especially during chaotic busy seasons. If you are repeating yourself, that’s good! Repetition can help reassure and remind your team which will help them stay on track.

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Practical ways to communicate through chaos

• Weekly team meetings: Even if it is short, keep the meeting.

  • Cancelling a weekly team meeting during a busy time can create more chaos and bring more questions.

  • Even if you don’t have specific updates, use the time to check in with your team and allow them to ask any questions to ensure they have clarity.

  • Once you are through with updates or questions, end the meeting early to give your team some time back.

• Individual 1:1 Check-ins: Prioritize your weekly 1:1s and ask each team member:

  • What, if anything, is feeling unclear?

  • What roadblocks do you have or where are you feeling stuck?

  • What support do you need from me this week? How can I help?

• Daily micro updates / Stand-up meetings: Keep the agenda tight with key updates

  • Top 1-2 priorities for the week.

  • What (if anything) has changed since the last connect.

  • What should your team be aware of that is coming up.

• Project & priority rest

  • Help your team focus on priorities by reconfirming what’s actually essential for the week and remove what’s not needed.

• Communicate the same message in multiple places

  • People receive information differently so redundancy and duplication can be helpful.

  • Leverage slack, email, and a meeting recap to communicate important details, updates and reminders

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Remember: It is much better for your team to feel like you are being redundant & repetitive rather than getting frustrated or confused due to the lack of information they are receiving.

Ultimately, the goal is not to have all the answers. Your team doesn’t need perfect clarity. They just need current clarity and to understand what is true right now.

The best way to create clarity and bring calm is to communicate early, often and clearly.

TAKE ACTION: This week, pick ONE of these practices to implement. Which one would make the biggest difference for your team right now?