“Relax, nothing is under control!” – How leaders deal with uncertainty…
„Relax, nothing is under control!”… This sentence may sound a little extreme but I strongly believe that it explains very well what good leaders do when uncertainty, volatility, complexity and ambiguity occupy the front scene of corporate life. Because trying to control everything triggers a high stress level, frustration and can lead to situations of burn out.
I have summarised behaviours that help leaders cope in uncertain times:
- Know yourself! Observe your behaviours and learn about your strengths, weaknesses, needs, values, beliefs. This introspection will give you a solid ground and help guiding your decisions in uncertain times.
- Observe the present! what is there today around you: available and real. Have a look at your environment, current trends, people, their interests, strengths, weaknesses, values and beliefs…
- Try things out, in small steps! Follow your intuition and throw seeds on what you consider fruitful grounds. Some of the seeds will die but some will grow and these are the ones you can invest on.
- Practice resilience! Change, setbacks and loss are inevitable. Going through them, accepting that they are painful while moving on and planning ahead are essential skills to recover and help others around you do so.
- Build on long term, authentic relationships! Enjoy giving to others without expecting a return, build and maintain strong relationships to people you appreciate and admire. In difficult times, these are the ones you will be able to rely on.
- Communicate! Share your thoughts and reflect with your team and your peers on the points mentioned above.
We cannot control much in life and business, but we can define our own inner compass!
