JONATHAN COOK: In times of fear, leaders need to be clear and concise
Boring and confusing messages do little to inspire confidence and hope in the public
Governments can teach us many useful lessons for leading a business through this pandemic, some positive and others clearly not. Most of us appreciated our president’s wise approach when speaking to us, explaining things with a measured, calm and authoritative tone. He won our support.
One of the capabilities of good leaders is to tell the truth in a way that inspires confidence, with “bounded optimism”. Too pessimistic a message can create despondency or even panic, while Trump-style bluster makes us doubt everything. It can have the opposite effect to that intended, destroying trust, generating anxiety and aggravating the flood of conspiracy theories...
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