The first time I ran a marathon, I had no idea what I was doing. I remember the night before the race I had a tough time sleeping: I didn’t want to miss my alarm, I was terrified to finish, and I wasn’t sure if my preparation was correct.

I finished the marathon, but not without a complete mental breakdown from mile 18 onward.

I quickly signed up for another race, because now I had information. I smashed my first time by almost 20 minutes because my mind was at ease.

How can you provide a level of ease with your team? How can you make everyday feel like their second marathon attempt?

C O M M U N I C A T E

Focus on transparency. Get to know them and let them get to know you. Help them understand how you define success. Give them freedom in their workday but setting expectations around hours, meetings, teamwork. Give them guidance on how you receive information best and how they can reach you.

The more you put their mind at ease, the more success you will see.

How can you do that?

I have an outline you can have!! I’ve created a slide deck (About Me) which prompts you to answer a bunch of questions in order for your team to get to know you best. Think of it as your leadership brand deck. Once you’ve created your brand, set up time to share with your direct reports (take it a step further and have them complete the same deck to share!).

When people know what to expect, how success is measured, and how to work with you, their energy shifts from self doubt to forward motion. Clear communication creates ease, and ease is what allows people to perform at their best the second time around.