Leadership in Crisis: Bubble-up Communication

I led a globally-based team of 200 for many years. Communication out to my team was easy. A schedule of email blasts, conference calls, and newsletters ensured that everyone had the information I had to make decisions and contribute to projects.

Getting feedback was always more challenging.  It takes time and trust, systems and channels. These are luxuries you don’t have in a crisis situation, where your team is suddenly working from home and everything is different, all at once.

Your client-facing team members are the first to get critical feedback during a crisis. They hear what’s needed, what’s not working, what’s causing frustration, and suggestions for improvement. The faster you can collate, analyze, respond, and implement that feedback, the better you can pivot your business to provide needed services.

If your team is new to full-time remote work, you will need to over-communicate that you need their feedback and ideas to appropriately meet the current challenge with the best possible solutions. Your clients know what they need and how you can help. You just need to create the systems to hear that information.

What are ways that you bubble up information?