There’s a looming threat in the workplace. One that has teams on edge, second-guessing every move and overanalyzing every email. Massive swathes of organizations have been cut and replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). Positions that were once seen as indispensable are now obsolete, and team members are watching leadership to see if, when and how AI will be moving into the organization.

But leaders have become silent as they, too, are unsure of the next move. And as they navigate the ever-changing global landscape amid shifting uncertainty, the instinct to remain silent and wait is natural. It’s what animals do in the wild when there’s trouble afoot. But it’s not a good move if you’re a leader.

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Now’s not the time for silence

Anxious teams are edgy teams — when fear and uncertainty dominate, tension rises, communication falters and collaboration breaks down. Anxiety impacts morale and seeps into every decision, stifling innovation and halting progress. The very real fear of becoming obsolete (FOBO) is running rampant in organizations with overly cautious leadership.

When leaders avoid difficult conversations, fail to address current fears even in the face of uncertainty and shy away from answering anxious questions (especially unasked ones), teams become filled with self-doubt. Even if you, as a leader, are not sure what to say or don’t know how to address fears of AI seeping into the workplace, it’s a conversation that has to be had. It’s also one that needs to be openly transparent and ongoing.

How to introduce AI to your team

If your leadership decision is to bring technology into an organization, explain to your team what the purpose is and how it will be used. Be upfront about what aspects of the workflow will be replaced and what that might mean for current team members. It may mean that some people are shifted to other positions or that one particular task becomes obsolete, and that’s okay.

What’s not okay is avoiding introducing the technology, eliminating team members and not answering anxious questions about which positions are next. If your leadership stance is to explore what AI can bring to your organization, make that position known, but be sure to acknowledge the human factors that cannot be replaced and consider moving some people to other positions that may harness existing strengths.

Far too many teams have recently been blindsided by the overnight arrival of AI and the rapid elimination of positions, leaving employees scrambling to adapt and organizations struggling to respond. A leader who can be upfront, discuss plans, answer questions about what those plans mean and continuously work to ease team anxiety is a leader whom teams trust.

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Is it authentically you?

There’s a paradox here, though. You can only be an honest leader if you are being honest with yourself. That might sound obvious, but I’ve worked with several people who attempt to strive for team transparency but aren’t honest about what their leadership goals are. It’s far easier to sit silent in a room than it is to address the uncomfortable pauses and push the conversation towards the topics that nobody wants to address.

But the thing about leadership is that it’s not a position you choose (or are put into) to win friends and dodge difficult topics. It’s the exact opposite. Those people who come to me asking how they can be more authentic are often missing that exact element in their own lives.

• Who are you as a leader, and what do you want to achieve with your position?
• Are you willing to discuss any topic with your team?
• Are they willing to talk to you?
• Is there an acknowledgement that you will address any concern?

The more you become comfortable with being honest in your actions, the easier it will be for your team to have those hard conversations (and to feel comfortable coming to you with difficult questions).

Avoidance isn’t the answer

A leader who never addresses the tough topics and avoids delicate conversations can’t expect a team full of people concerned about AI to start asking whether or not their job will exist in a month. Everyone will be thinking about it in every meeting, but nobody will have the courage to ask — and that leads to all kinds of difficult emotions like anger, angst and paranoia.

But a leader who is known for being open and for facilitating hard conversations is far more approachable and builds a culture of openness. That’s the culture that you want to foster. And it can be done by facing the hard parts of leadership head-on.

To know what is really going on in the minds of the people you lead, you have to first gain their trust. You can’t do this if you aren’t willing to say the things that everyone is worried about, but nobody wants to address. If you lead by avoiding, now is the time to start talking about the topics you’d rather not acknowledge.

Related: Most Founders Think They Know AI — But They’re Using It Wrong. Here’s How to Drive Real Growth.

There’s something else at stake

Along with the hushed voices of uncertain leaders comes the very real possibility that leadership will forget how to communicate effectively with teams. Hard conversations take practice, and listening skills take cultivating. Outstanding leadership isn’t built overnight, but it doesn’t take long for the art of leadership to crumble.

Avoiding tough conversations with the teams you lead risks more than just unresolved issues — it threatens the art of purposeful dialogue. Without practice, honesty and clarity give way to silence, misunderstanding and disengagement. The easiest response may be to stay silent, but team trust is built through consistent, honest communication. As a leader, you must speak up, address the hard truths and keep the dialogue open, even when it’s uncomfortable.