Month: May 2025

Go ahead and panic.

Go outside and scream.

This advice was from Michelle Singletary, who spoke on NPR’s 1Aabout the angst and fear that many of us are feeling about the wavering state of our economy. Singletary is the nationally syndicated personal finance columnist for the Washington Post. She has held that post for more than 20 years, and for one good reason: She offers common sense.

And so her caveat to her comments speaks volumes. Don’t act on your panic.

Singletary’s advice is suitable not simply for consumers and investors but for anyone in a management position. The uncertainty we are feeling now is palpable. The economy seems in stasis. Job cuts to government employees fuel anxiety. Contracts are not being let. 

Angst is real

Employees in the private sector are looking over their shoulders. Am I next? They wonder.

No one—certainly not this leadership correspondent—knows what is coming next, but one thing I do know is that what will steady us now and enable us to meet the challenges of the future will be remembered. How leaders respond to the unease of those they lead now will be remembered. So, having lived through more than a few economic uncertainties, let me offer a few tips.

Take the temperature. What are people saying about the situation? 

Listen to your team. It’s easy to listen to what is said out loud, but it’s tough to decipher what is not said. When fear takes hold, people shut down. Read the room. Ask open-ended questions. Reveal what you are feeling. Make it safe for people to speak up.

Recognize their efforts. Compliment the team on what they have accomplished to date and can achieve in the future. 

Connect with your team

Will these steps—collectively or individually—improve the situation? No. Your leadership actions will demonstrate that you care, that you understand the issues and challenges, and that you know how they feel.

Decades ago, I witnessed an example of reassurance from a VP executive whose company was about to be purchased by a larger entity. It was a surprise move, and everyone seemed on edge except the VP. Straight out, he told employees that he did not know what would come next, but he did offer one assurance. He told the managers in the room to invite him to their regular staff meetings. He would listen and take questions. In short, he would be present.

Be accessible

Tough times are terrible to endure. For leaders, they have an opportunity to show their mettle for the benefit of those they serve. We cannot control the situation around us, only how we react to it. “When you have peace in yourself and accept, then you are calm enough to do something,” wrote the Vietnamese monk and poet Thich Nhat Hanh, “but if you are carried by despair, there is no hope.” In short, face the situation with a sense of calm and resolve to help yourself and your team persevere.

First posted on Forbes.com 3.22.2025

In a recent interview, Will Packer, a successful film producer, told Ayesha Roscoe, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, that “healthy arrogance” can be a demonstration that you have something to offer. 

“Healthy arrogance is a supreme confidence that you walk into a room and it doesn’t matter how successful, powerful or important the people are in that room,” says Packer. “You realize that no one in that room is more important or more deserving of success than you. And not only do you belong in that room, but you have something to add to that room and that room is better because you’re in it and you can bring everybody in that room up typically by getting them to see the commonality and the values and the goals that you’re trying to attain.” Packer explores these ideas in his new book, Who Better Than You? The Art of Healthy Arrogance & Dreaming Big.

Packer’s comments are one of the best and most succinct definitions of a leader’s role and responsibilities. Packer is Black, and he knows the feeling that so many minorities and women feel in such situations. While some organizations may tolerate this sense of unbelonging, successful leaders do not let it prevent them from pursuing their goals. Such leaders believe in themselves and in what they can do. 

A key phrase in politics today is “performative,” that is, doing something for the show because it will seem good rather than acting upon on your convictions. Leadership, however, is an act because it is about working with others and—here’s the difference—for the benefit of others. Leaders show that they are working, as Packer said, for the common good. 

How to act the part

Leaders, as Packer stated, must own the stage and deliver on it. Here are some suggestions.

Know what you stand for, your purpose, and how you can apply it to your work. 

Believe in your abilities. Understand that you have skills that can be applied to the job. Show folks what you can do.

Find a common cause. The heart of leadership is bringing people together for a collective purpose. Explain the cause so it is crystal clear and viscerally understood.

Work the plan. Apply your abilities to help the team achieve the goals through their efforts. Celebrate their efforts and keep working.

Keep doing it

Knowing oneself, projecting confidence, building community and working together is essential. They are part of the leadership equation that must be worked on every day, letting the people you lead know what you stand for and what you are doing to benefit the organization.

Anne Chow, former CEO of AT&T Business and author of Lead Bigger, told me in an interview, “Because you want to perform better as an individual, as a leader, as a team, and you want to have a bigger impact. All of us, to some level, want to work on meaningful things and so we want to help people.” The common good becomes a rallying cry if you are willing to put your leadership act on the line.

“Confidence is a muscle and that you build it with success,” says Packer. “You build it over time after you work it just like any other muscle that you might have.” When a leader’s confidence is applied to achieving a goal with others on the team it is a positive force for good.