Symbolic Pacing in Communicative Leadership

Stepping up, stepping back. Repeat.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

tl:dr;
Leadership is a rhythm—step back to empower your team, step up when the stakes are high. Symbolic pacing creates an atmosphere where your team feels empowered during stable times and supported during times of turbulence.

Practice sym­bol­ic pacing in your com­mu­nic­at­ive lead­er­ship.

Effective lead­er­ship isn’t syn­onym­ous with con­stant action or relent­less involvement:

A power­ful but often over­looked approach is to prac­tice sym­bol­ic pacing — know­ing when to step back and let your team take the lead and when to step up and provide dir­ect guid­ance, espe­cially in times of heightened sens­it­iv­ity or crisis.

Leadership pacing is about man­aging your energy and ensur­ing you’re ready to lead act­ively when the situ­ation demands it.

Here we go:

Symbolic Pacing in Communicative Leadership

In day-to-day oper­a­tions, step­ping back and allow­ing your team to prob­lem-solve and take ini­ti­at­ive is critical:

When everything runs smoothly, your team bene­fits from the autonomy to address chal­lenges inde­pend­ently, fos­ter­ing their con­fid­ence and resi­li­ence. The lead­er­’s role dur­ing these moments is to rest and observe — a pur­pose­ful rest that enables you to stay fresh and ready to take a more act­ive stance when required.

However, there are moments when sym­bol­ic pacing requires you to step up decis­ively. In sens­it­ive situ­ations or dur­ing crises, your vis­ible ini­ti­at­ive becomes a sta­bil­ising force for your team.

By step­ping in assert­ively, you demon­strate lead­er­ship when it’s most needed, provid­ing dir­ec­tion and focus dur­ing uncer­tain times. Your pres­ence in these moments of intens­ity builds trust and ensures your team knows they can rely on you when the stakes are high.

This bal­ance between step­ping back and step­ping up is not arbit­rary. According to Hackman and Wageman (2005), effect­ive lead­er­ship often involves know­ing when to shift roles — adapt­ing between act­ive inter­ven­tion and more pass­ive over­sight. This type of flex­ib­il­ity is essen­tial to main­tain­ing a dynam­ic and resi­li­ent team struc­ture. 1Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A the­ory of team coach­ing. Academy of Management Review, 30(2), 269 – 287. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​5​4​6​5​/​a​m​r​.​2​0​0​5​.​1​6​3​8​7​885

The lead­er­’s abil­ity to pace them­selves — to rest when pos­sible and inter­vene when neces­sary — enables a sus­tain­able and effect­ive lead­er­ship model.

Research by Weick and Sutcliffe (2007) also sup­ports this idea by high­light­ing the value of mind­ful­ness in lead­er­ship. Mindful lead­ers can bet­ter judge when to engage act­ively and when to allow their teams the space to oper­ate inde­pend­ently. This mind­ful­ness con­trib­utes to a cul­ture of reli­ab­il­ity with­in the team — team mem­bers are con­fid­ent that their lead­er is attent­ive and respons­ive, cap­able of tak­ing con­trol when needed, yet respect­ful of the team’s autonomy daily. 2Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the unex­pec­ted: Resilient per­form­ance in an age of uncer­tainty (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Key takeaway: Symbolic pacing is, in essence, about cre­at­ing an atmo­sphere where your team feels empowered dur­ing stable times and sup­por­ted dur­ing tur­bu­lent times.

The act of step­ping back sig­nals trust, while step­ping for­ward sig­nals sup­port. This dual sig­nal is cru­cial for main­tain­ing mor­ale and pro­ductiv­ity across dif­fer­ent circumstances.

Pacing as a Symbol of Readiness

Leadership is not about being every­where all the time. It is about being present where and when it counts the most and let­ting your team shine whenev­er possible. 

Seeing the lead­er take the ini­ti­at­ive in a chal­len­ging situ­ation also has sub­stan­tial sym­bol­ic value: it reas­sures the team that their lead­er is ready to step up when things get rough.

The lead­er­’s vis­ible read­i­ness rein­forces trust and builds con­fid­ence with­in the team, know­ing they have strong lead­er­ship that will rise to the chal­lenge when it truly matters.

By employ­ing sym­bol­ic pacing, you main­tain your lead­er­ship energy, empower your team, and cre­ate a resi­li­ent organ­iz­a­tion that thrives under routine and pressure.

To put this into prac­tice, con­sider a rhythm to your lead­er­ship actions. Encourage your team to lead dis­cus­sions, ini­ti­at­ives, and solu­tions dur­ing routine operations. 

Watch for sens­it­ive inflex­ion points — per­haps a chal­len­ging cli­ent situ­ation or an intern­al con­flict — and then step for­ward decisively.

Step Up — Or Step Back (Infographic)

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ANNOTATIONS
ANNOTATIONS
1 Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A the­ory of team coach­ing. Academy of Management Review, 30(2), 269 – 287. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​5​4​6​5​/​a​m​r​.​2​0​0​5​.​1​6​3​8​7​885
2 Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the unex­pec­ted: Resilient per­form­ance in an age of uncer­tainty (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

The cover photo has

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Shareable:
Effective leadership isn't constant action—it's about symbolic pacing: knowing when to step back and when to step up.
Shareable:
Step back during routine operations to let your team take initiative. This fosters confidence and resilience.
Shareable:
Stepping up in sensitive situations or crises stabilizes your team and shows you're there when they need you most.
Shareable:
Symbolic pacing helps manage leadership energy, ensuring you're ready for times that truly need active guidance.
Shareable:
Mindful leaders understand when to intervene and when to give space, creating a culture of reliability and autonomy.
Shareable:
Stepping back signals trust in your team. Stepping forward signals support in tough times. Both are crucial for morale.
Shareable:
Symbolic pacing isn't just about efficiency; it builds team confidence by showing you're ready to lead when needed.
Shareable:
Step up during crises, conflicts, or moments of uncertainty. Your presence reassures and guides your team.
Shareable:
Step down when your team is thriving on their own. Autonomy strengthens their resilience and trust in each other.

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