Insights and Strategies for Leading in a Time of Great Uncertainty and Pervasive Anxiety

 

 

 

 

 

 Leading in an uncertain world is a serious challenge facing leaders right now. 

Anxiety is taking a toll on people. American Psychiatric Association research confirms it: anxiety is at an all-time high. Teams spend too much time worrying about things they can’t control.

Leaders are expected to provide certainty even if they have as many questions as everyone else. And the cost is massive.

Anxiety is a productivity killer: It hijacks focus, stifles creativity, and slows decision-making. But pretending anxiety is not an issue? That backfires.
         
The most resilient teams don't waste time trying to eliminate uncertainty — they learn to lead through it. 

Adaptive leaders expand the clarity zone, communicate what they do know, and act with consistency. They don’t get lost in hypotheticals they can’t solve yet.

Here are three steps for leading when you don't have all the answers:

1. Embrace uncertainty:

In his book Managing as a Performing Art, Peter Vaill introduces the metaphor for the uncertainty, turbulence, and angst that shape business dynamics: permanent whitewater.

We must embrace uncertainty, not as something temporary, but permanent.

As Vaills explains:

“Most managers are taught to think of themselves as paddling their canoes on calm, still lakes. They’re led to believe that they should be pretty much able to go where they want, when they want, using means that are under their control.

(They think) disruptions will be temporary, and when things settle back down, they’ll be back in the calm, still lake mode.”

But, as the author explains, we never get out of the rapids — We will always experience continuous upset and chaos.

When you realize the river will never be calm, uncertainty feels less threatening.

2. Read the waters

Though times of great uncertainly feels random and  chaotic — It’s mostly composed of patterns. If you stop and watch a river or waterfall carefully, you can notice that some patterns are quite stable.

Whitewater is formed when a river generates so much turbulence that air is entrained into the water body. It creates a bubbly, unstable current — the foamy water appears white.

Whitewater is exciting but also risky — You can drown in turbulent waters, smash a rock or get stuck in river features. You must learn to read the waters before you jump into them.

Training and coaching helps us understand the different patterns and rules to navigate permanent whitewater. Like in any space, to thrive in an uncertain reality requires formal training.

3. Play

 However, formal training is not enough — We must experience the challenging waters first hand. Through play, teams can test the rules, break them, and mend them.

Playing allow us to get used to practice and gain confidence in a safer space before we jump into more dangerous waters. Ken Gergen calls it ‘Play with Purpose’ — a spirited way of deeply, but safely, exploring patterns that create significant impact in the long run.

The Approach 

To thrive in great uncertainty, organizations and teams must develop a human, adaptive, and innovative culture.

Emotion intelligence → Mindset → Behavior

Teams must learn to manage their — individual and collective — emotions so they can reframe their mindset and, only then, can adopt new behaviors. The following is the framework you can experiment with.

Human (Emotions):
Enduring change happens from within. Self-awareness is key — the more you know yourself, the more you can lead yourself and others.

By increasing self-awareness, we can identify the emotions that are at play. We can choose which ones we want to avoid, and which we want to use on our favor. Addressing our relationship with fear helps us understand why we resist the unexpected and also prepare for it.

Self-awareness help us shift from fear to courage and resilience. Building a courageous and resilient culture matters because it helps people do their best work.

Click here to read a related post: The Leadership "Super Skill" for Thriving in the 21st Century   

Adaptive (Mindset):
Managing our emotions is critical to stop resisting reality. Instead of fighting the uncertain waters, we learn to embrace their nature.

An adaptive mindset requires letting go of perfectionism and expectations. We learn to focus on paddling — what we can control — not on trying to change the reality of the whitewater.

Click here to read a related post: Develop 5 Essential Skills to Lead Effectively in Today’s 'VUCA' World

Instead of trying to dominate whitewater; we need to allow it to become. Focus on what you can control — the input, not the outcome.

Innovative (Behavior):
To thrive in uncertainty, great leaders tap into the humanity in their company and teams. They see and liberate the best in others by creating a safe space for experimentation. Playing is not only permitted, but encouraged.

Click here to read a related post: Experimentation is Vital for Leadership Excellence

Improvisation is a necessary skill to navigate great uncertainty— teams must be able to think on their feet to solve unexpected problems.

Click here to read a related post:  9 Tips for Thinking on Your Feet

Mistakes are lessons to discover what doesn’t work so we can then uncover what will work.

Uncertainty will remain present for the foreseeable future.  However, every time our limits are tested, we can grow and adapt our way through it.

We are all in this together. We are stronger when we fight together rather than on our own. Welcome to the new normal. 

To your greater ability to adapt to uncertainty,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 

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