Leading in Uncertain Times Boils Down to Three Simple Things
In our last posting, we shared tools for planning in uncertain times. With 7 of 10 U.S. employees reporting disruptive change in their workplace, this week we start a series on Leading in Uncertain Times.
This is not a theoretical exercise for me. With parents in and out of the hospital and most of our clients in great flux, nothing is a given on any day. I am digging through our toolbox and talking to colleagues to find leadership hacks relevant to this emerging reality.
I will start with a recent helpful AHA. The 4.8M U.S. leadership books published each year all focus on three key leadership tasks:
Name reality (even if it is ugly).
Identify the best path forward (given the current best thinking, which will change)
Support your team on that path
Everything else in the 4.8M books is about HOW to carry out these tasks.
These three tasks are also the key to leading others during uncertainty, but they are carried out in a way that is responsive to continuous change:
Name reality: Reality will shift rapidly, so leaders must name it again and again.
Identify the best path forward: This will also shift rapidly, so systems will be needed to clarify the best path again and again as it evolves.
Support your team on that path: Continuous feedback from staff positions leaders to modify their support as needed.
In the coming weeks, I will share insights from colleagues and leaders in the field on "HOW" to put items #1-3 into action.
But first, a few basic facts about change and uncertainty that I am finding useful to keep in mind as I think about "HOW" to lead:
Fast Fact #1: Change adds up over time, like drops in a bucket.
Changes in the environment and our personal and professional lives, like drops of water in a bucket, add up over time. The bucket overflows when we can’t process the changes quickly enough.
Knowing this helps me spot the overflow moment in myself and others to hit the “pause” button rather than pushing things to an unnecessarily painful point.
Fast Fact #2: Relief starts with distinguishing change from transition
Knowing this, we can shift our focus to the parts we can influence or control.
There are many ways to improve how we and others experience that part of change. Watch your inbox in the coming weeks for insights from your peers on what is impactful, or subscribe to our LinkedIn page to follow responses to this posting.