The things left unsaid are saying something too

I'll start by saying this isn't a post about Laravel or PHP, but a thought that has been rattling in my head around what it means to be a leader, especially when navigating difficult journeys or making difficult decisions.

If you are a leader, you occupy a position of authority. You have people who look up to you for advice, for guidance and for direction. It is on you to make sure those around you have the support, the knowledge and the guidance they need to succeed, do well and ultimately better themselves in the world.

I've been fortunate enough to be in that position across multiple roles. It is a position I've never taken lightly. I worry about how my actions, my words, my general attitude are perceived by others. For me, it's about ensuring a strong bond and trust with those around me - that they know they can always reach out to me to talk about anything, that they know I will be open and honest about decisions and direction, and that I will always have their best interests at heart.

However, in addition to these things, it is always important for me to consider the things I am not saying or doing, and what impression others could get from that void. This is something I try to remind myself of regularly - just because I know why I am doing something doesn't mean that everyone around me does. Silence itself can communicate something, even when you don't intend it to, and by leaving a gap in that communication, people will naturally start to form their own conclusions. Sometimes those conclusions will be right, sometimes they will be completely wrong, but we can't blame someone for filling that gap with their own assumptions.

As a leader, if you fail to communicate your actions and reasoning, there is a very good chance that misunderstandings will happen. You might be doing something for a perfectly good reason, but if you fail to explain it, others might jump to their own conclusions and distrust might start to set in. Once the seeds of doubt are sown, it will take a lot to rebuild that relationship.

People, organisations, industries all undertake difficult journeys in their lifetimes. As leaders, it is our job to get everyone through these journeys safely and effectively. That doesn't mean everyone is always going to be comfortable or happy with what is happening, but they should at least understand what is happening, why, and what comes next.

Earlier in the year, I was on a flight to Brussels. On approach to landing, the plane had to perform a go-around manoeuvre. Within a minute of this taking place, the Captain was on the public address system telling us exactly what was happening and why (for those who are interested, it was poor visibility just before touching down), along with details of the plan for what was going to happen next. It would have been easy for the Captain to say nothing, deal with the situation and explain what had happened once we were safely on the ground. From his perspective, everything may have been completely routine. From the perspective of everyone sitting behind him, however, something unexpected had just happened and we had no way of knowing why.

This information was key to reassuring passengers that everything was safe, normal and under control. I'm sure it did a lot to calm down any nervous flyers that may have been aboard. Now imagine what it would have been like if no one had said a word? It's likely that there would have been a range of thoughts and emotions across the entire plane, not all of them positive. Until the plane was safely on the ground, some people could have been expecting the worst.

We should avoid putting people through this kind of situation where we can - whether it's on a plane, or leading a group of software engineers. Be open. Be honest. Be clear. You won't always have every answer, and you won't always be able to tell people everything, but saying what you can is almost always better than saying nothing at all.