5 Things to Tell Your Team During These Chaotic Times

According to the author every entrepreneur he knows has said, at one time or another, that, if they had any idea of how tough the journey to build a new business was going to be, they would never have started in the first place.  Successful entrepreneurs are a special breed, and they only know one direction and one pace, which is forward and full speed ahead. You can call it undue optimism, perseverance, passion or just plain orneriness, but they don’t quit. They’ve got too much of themselves invested in the effort to think any other way.  Many serial entrepreneurs learned not to be afraid of the future when their early ventures failed, and the sky didn’t fall. Bad news and bumps in the road are just business as usual. If they get knocked down, they’re the first ones to pick themselves up and get back in the game. Pundits call you stubborn when you fail, but persistent when you succeed.

One of the mistakes entrepreneurs often make as they rush ahead even in hard times is to believe that they’re automatically bringing all the troops along with them. And that they’re doing a good job of communicating and getting their message through to the others in the business when, in fact, most of the team members have no idea of what’s going on and how the business is really doing.

If you want your people to get back to business and to pay attention to what needs to get done every day, you’ve got to take the time to tell them a few key things. They’re all walking on eggshells right now and you’ve got to speak up and wake them up. Here are five important things to tell them.

1. No one’s getting fired for making mistakes. We all make mistakes and they’re a healthy and important part of the growth process. The key is to make ‘em, learn from ‘em, and then forget about ‘em.  Putting them behind you – we call it “in-game amnesia” – so you can move ahead is the most critical thing you need to do. But trying to hide a mistake or a problem is a guaranteed ticket out the door.
2. Failures are also par for the course. They happen – they’re unavoidable – and we expect them. But two kinds of failure are not acceptable: failing to ask for help when you need it and failing to offer help when you’re asked. We’re a team – no one does anything important all by themselves – and we have each other’s backs.
3. We’re still standing. Five awful years after the pandemic, our firm is still up and operating and nothing makes us prouder or confirms that what we’re doing is worth the blood, sweat and tears we’ve all shed. Because our work matters to ourselves and others as well. We’re being careful and conservative and we’re building and rebuilding our important relationships with our loyal clients and customers, supportive vendors and partners, and patient investors.
4. Parts of the startup journey are always uphill. We shouldn’t expect that our path will be any different, but we’ll weather any future storms and make any required sacrifices that may be necessary bolstered by the knowledge that all these ups and downs will be borne and shared by the entire team.  
5. Entrepreneurs never say “thank you” enough. Tell the team that you’re grateful for their work, loyalty, and personal sacrifices. You can never say it too much.