Episode 82 - Five Ways to Avoid the Paranoia Associated with Uncertainty

<p class="p1"><strong>Summary</strong></p> <p class="p2">When faced with unexpected negative outcomes, people tend to become more paranoid and attracted to conspiracy theories. This negatively impacts their ability to make sound, rational decisions. This week we look at five ways leaders can help overcome our tendency towards paranoia when faced with uncertainty.</p> <p class="p3"> </p> <p class="p1"><strong>Transcript</strong></p> <p class="p2">Hello and welcome to episode 82 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we look at five ways leaders can help overcome our tendency towards paranoia when faced with uncertainty.</p> <p class="p2">A firm I worked for was going through an acquisition. As part of the company being acquired, that meant moving to some beautiful new offices on a high floor overlooking gardens. We had only just moved in when there was the first of many morning teas to celebrate birthdays in the office. As we made our way into the open kitchen area I could not believe the amount of food. There wasn’t just the traditional birthday cake, but also sushi, sandwiches, spring rolls and pastries filling the large table. Just before the speech began, I heard a low voice next to me say “Hey - you’re one of the new guys, yeah? So here’s the deal - make sure you take as much food as you can - maybe for lunch or to take home. Otherwise if there’s food left over the management will cut back on how much they order next time”. Sure enough, once we finished singing happy birthday, people were making their way back to their desks with loaded plates and containers full of food - more than enough to cover their lunch if not another meal on top of that. To me it looked like a somewhat overly generous way to celebrate staff and bring people together. But for the paranoid whisperer, the birthday celebrations had become just another way that the leaders were scheming to take something away from the workers. The acquisition provided fertile ground