In a hard season, leaders don’t promise it gets easier tomorrow. They promise they’ll be there tomorrow.

Promising improvement puts you in charge of something you do not control, and when tomorrow arrives no better, people stop believing the rest of what you say. Promising your presence is different, because it is entirely yours to keep. It also happens to be what people actually want during a bad stretch. Company is more useful than forecasts.

If your group is in a rough patch, say only what you can guarantee and then do it without making it a performance. Arrive at the time you said, in the mood you promised. Keep that going past the point where anyone is checking.