Client Question: “I have to do something that is the right thing for the organization, but it is not something I am in total agreement with and it is going to be unpopular with my team. How do I communicate this in the best way?”
In your role, there are going to be times that you have to do something that is beneficial to the organization, but it may mean your team has additional work or they feel it is the wrong decision. As their leader, you need to help them see the bigger picture of why this is being done this way and what you have done to communicate your concerns to upper management. They need to see that you are not moving forward on this blindly and that you have had the tough conversations with your management. You shared your opinion, but it did not win out over the larger group.
Explain to your team that they will need to come to grips with this decision and take it forward. They need to show that they are moving forward with it just like you are. Help them gain the perspective of the reasons that were shared with you on why it is being done and that they need to give it a chance. They may want to vent with you about it in private conversations, which is okay, but don’t let it go on too long. They need to move forward and you need to help them see that this is the way it is and they will have to accept it.
This isn’t easy for you or for them, especially if you disagree. In my experience, there are usually political reasons why these decisions are made and they usually come back around to be re-evaluated sooner rather than later. This isn’t always the case, but it may go through a course correction that will change it enough so it makes more sense. In the interim, you and your team need to support this decision in front of everyone else to show you are on board and communicate your progress to move it forward.