Being a leader involves changing your mind. A lot. New data comes in. Business conditions change. Unexpected events occur. Trends pop up, and forecasts get beat or missed. Like a sailor, you are constantly moving, tacking with the wind.
Teams, however value consistency. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you, one of the qualities they value in a manager or leader is predictability. There’s immense pressure to always be right. To make the right call, to stick to your guns, to follow through on ideas and commitments. So how do you thread that needle?
Many in the business and tech community talk about “strong opinions, weekly held.” The idea is that you go all-in on a concept (which, of course, should be grounded in data…). Deliver it with conviction. Then…stay open to new information. Listen when people challenge your conviction. Remain flexible. It’s de rigueur to remain open to change.
There are two traps leaders encounter in this moment. Balancing the tension inherent between these things is hard. Our pride, the first trap, often prevents us from being flexible. We think: If I change my mind or waffle on this commitment, the team will get the wrong idea. I’ll look weak, or like I don’t believe in this path. And it’s true! That’s the second trap: undermining yourself by failing to act at the right time.
So how do you navigate this challenge? With clear communication, self-awareness, and personal accountability.
- Tell your team when you’re considering new information. Be upfront – acknowledge that this represents a potential change or a reason to change. Language like “I hadn’t considered that fact when we made this decision, but I will look into it now” or “I’m not sure this information will be enough to change our earlier direction, but I intend to look at it and make sure.”
- Tell your team when you’ve changed your mind. Own it; let them know that have changed your mind, what information led you to do so, and what you intend to do now. Deliver the news with humility, and be sure to acknowledge the work that has already been done. If possible, tell them what it would take to change your mind again – set some guardrails around future pivots, so they are not surprised if it happens, and also understand what signals they can see themselves to indicate a change is needed.
Number 2 is a big challenge for many leaders. There’s a lot of personal psychology wrapped up in that transparency. Your ego is telling you that you’ll look stupid for making the wrong call. Your imposter syndrome is telling you that the team will lose trust in your decisions. Your personal fear might cause you to hang on to the original decision, usually until it’s too late.
What most leaders miss, however, is that not being transparent actually guarantees those things. If you change your mind, or change direction, and don’t acknowledge the change (and why it’s happened), you will most certainly undermine your team’s trust and confidence in your direction (“they can never make up their mind”) or undermine their confidence in themselves (“what did I get wrong?”). Both of these things can be catastrophic for a team’s trust and personal resiliency.