As a leader, you will encounter difficult times at some point during your career. Sometimes your troubles will be small, such as your company's servers go down for a few minutes one afternoon or a disgruntled client gives your staff a hard time during an in-person meeting. Other times, you may face scarier or more uncertain situations, like company-wide layoffs or increased market competition.

Leadership is never easy, especially during tough situations like these. However, if you want to continue to uplift your employees, even when it's not simple, consider these three thoughts:

1. Be honest but not discouraging
Your company might be going through a messy merger or making cuts because of a recent drop in sales, but this doesn't mean you have to instill fear in your team, according to Forbes. Be straightforward and honest with your team about the troubles ahead, but try not to discourage them. They will appreciate you being clear with them, which will help them address their worries head on and prepare for what might come in the future.

2. Let them process
Sometimes the last things your team need after hearing difficult information is your reassurance and encouragement  to get back to work. If they are worried about keeping their jobs or being under new leadership, give them time to process. Whether this means letting them take a longer lunch break or go out for coffee, allow them time to digest the news and feel ready to handle whatever else might be coming their way.

3. Remember to appreciate them
Teams that stay together during tough situations should be appreciated. Make an effort to thank your employees every day and find inventive ways to accomplish this goal. If you are not able to reward them with bonuses that them out for team outings or hold in-office parties.

At ProSolutions Training, we offer plenty of online courses for early childhood educators or social service workers. We even offer a course that can help with this subject, called "Leading with Heart: How to Build Effective Teams." Contact us today learn more about our extensive course catalog.