Judd Antin held leadership positions at Meta and Airbnb from 2012 to 2022, experiencing significant challenges like COVID-19's impact on business. During his time at Airbnb, he managed a crisis resulting in 25% team layoffs. He learned that authentic clarity is key to effective leadership during change. Clarity helps teams navigate uncertainty, fostering calm despite chaotic surroundings. Frequent communication in an authentic tone is essential. Antin realized that projecting certainty is unrealistic, as leaders often lack all the answers, leading to the need for a truthful and clear approach.
The secret to effective leadership in times of change - whether it's reorgs, strategy shifts, or layoffs - is to provide authentic clarity.
Clarity allows people to move forward calmly, even if they don't have all the answers. In a chaotic environment, providing clarity takes frequent communication in an authentic voice.
I can't remember a single time in my leadership career when I had all the answers.
Once, in an effort to project certainty, I confidently presented some details using guesswork. That only made me look foolish and ultimately damaged my team.
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