Making decisions, as managers and leaders, is our job.

And we all know the sting when somebody thinks were a “craphead” for a decision we have made.

Or calls us uncaring, indifferent or not concerned for the wellbeing of staff because of our choices.

Yes, let’s be real, sometimes there are difficult decisions that have to made and when staff are unhappy it becomes ouch time.

And it’s a time when we can really be tempted to fold up inside.

We can start to question and doubt ourselves – start believing the “upset” means something is wrong.

To navigate these situations let’s remind ourselves of some helpful truths:

1. We know who we are. We know we deeply care. OK, that’s off the table.

2. We know that upset staff may not be able to see things from our perspective. We don’t need to doubt our direction.

3. We know that misplaced emotional volatility, disappointments, and upsets are not evidence of our managerial characteristics or a measurement of our capabilities.

OK, we’re in good shape.

So, when we’re attacked because of what we’re doing, we need to proceed with caring and confidence and earn staff’s respect with how we go about showing up for them.

Are we connecting, communicating effectively, being clear on our direction, providing support, being consistent, holding people accountable? This is where our attention belongs.

Let’s keep our focus on what we bring and how we are going about things.

So let’s stand up straight, get out there and have a great week!