Advice for leaders on how to guide teams in uncertain times
There are advantages to having lived a long time. You’ve seen stuff. You’ve lived through complicated, unsettling times, and you’ve observed how resilience and intelligence and humanity eventually win the day.
My parents lived through the Blitz in London during World War II, a time of terrible uncertainty, when the motto was, “Keep calm and carry on.” My peers and I lived through the Vietnam War, when the United States was perhaps as polarized and conflicted as it had been since the Civil War, and the nightly news carried the numbers of American soldiers who had died that day. England made it through the Blitz and the U.S. got through the Vietnam War and moved on. So maybe we can too.
Building on key leadership behaviors
For we are now, once again, living through an era of great uncertainty and the stress it creates. A time like this is especially challenging for leaders, who must manage their own emotional reactions and simultaneously provide guidance and stability for the people they lead. In my last two posts, I wrote about two of the crucial leadership behaviors, Connect and Inform. This post is about the third key leadership skills for times of high uncertainty: Guide.
In recent years, business leaders have been advised to move away from a “command and control” leadership style. In most contemporary business environments, decision-making is collaborative and people have a fair degree of autonomy in how they do their jobs.
Showing up strong to guide teams in uncertain times
But in times of high uncertainty, people want strong leaders who are comfortable giving clear guidance and direction. Leaders who provide concrete expectations of employees and managers will calm the workforce and focus people on the task at hand.
Here are some of the key leadership behaviors:
Increase feedback, especially rewards. People always need feedback, but during times of high uncertainty it is very reassuring to hear how you are doing, especially what you’re doing right and especially if your job responsibilities have changed. Feedback provides some confidence and certainty in the fact of the uncertainty.
Show steadiness and patience. A strong leader will be a source of calm and predictability in the face of the storm. Be sure to differentiate between what is a crisis and what can be done later.
Acknowledge and reward learning and adaptation. In times of high uncertainty, “same old same old” won’t work. People will be challenged to adapt quickly and try new ways of getting the job done. Effective leaders notice and reward those behaviors.
Communicate what has not changed. Sometimes it feels as if the whole world has been turned upside down. Part of the leader’s job is to remind people of the fundamental values and rules of engagement that have not changed.
Provide a road map of productive behaviors. Get specific about what you want people to do. This is not a time for ambiguity or vagueness.
Pay attention to signs of distress and provide resources to help people cope. The leader’s task is not only to show your people how to get the job done. It is also about taking care of them, both because they are precious business resources and because they are human beings. Keep your radar tuned for signs of distress and talk with other leaders about what they are sensing about people’s well-being. Evaluate your organization’s resources for providing employee support and expand them if there is a need.
Business leadership is a demanding role even in the good times. When times are chaotic, the challenge is even greater. If you would like to talk more about effective leadership through uncertainty, contact me at ggolden@gailgoldenconsulting.com.
