Leading in Times of Uncertainty

October 7, 2008 by Jason Boltax.

Leading in Times of Uncertainty- Back to Basics 

In the wake of tragedy, leaders are faced with challenges that stretch their abilities and skills. In this global economy of rapid change and increasing complexity, many leaders struggle to lead their companies in the right direction. Now, there is increased uncertainty, more complexity, and more chaos. What do you as a leader need to know? 

Everyone is affected by the recent economic turmoil. In times of crises, people look to their leaders. Where do you as a leader find guidance? When uncertainty, fear and doubt are more commonplace than usual, it saps our energy and, unless faced, can put us into a tailspin of negativity and helplessness. 

An effective leader replaces uncertainty, fear and doubt with purpose, courage and trust. Purpose provides clear direction in the face of uncertainty. It is the energetic “magnet” that pulls people together and points them in a similar direction. Courage provides strength and commitment in the face of fear. Trust in one ’s self and one’s purpose overcomes doubt.  

Some say that in order to move forward, one must look back to the lessons of successful leaders of the past, and in particular, get back to basics.  

According to Warren Bennis, there are some 850 definitions of leadership. They range from the inspirational to the operational. Leadership still remains an enigma, or like Bennis says, “it’s like art, you can’t define what it is, but you know it when you see it.” 

The problem is that we have taught managers and leaders how to plan, organize, staff, lead, and control organizations based on concepts and skills from the 19th century and the necessity to organize large numbers of people for wars.

The 21st century presents us with new demands. We are being asked to carry on with our business affairs in order not to be defeated by social and economic collapse. This requires leadership at all levels.

Leaders often find themselves painfully lacking in knowledge and skill, perhaps even paralyzed with guilt, anxiety, sadness or rage and unable to devise a strategy and set of behaviors that will work in these complicated times. 

Even in this 21st century, the bio-psycho-social framework of organizations is still rooted in division of labor, hierarchy, leadership and follower-ship. Leaders at every level in any organization will need to formulate and implement different strategies for survival in this new world and new economy, even more so with new uncertainties. 

The job of the leader is to get results. A leader must carve the problems into manageable tasks that can be clearly articulated and measured, and maintain a relentless focus on achieving results through the implementation process.

Management is about coping with complexity: it brings order and predictability to a situation. However, that’s no longer enough. To succeed, companies have to adapt to change. Leadership, then, is about learning how to cope with rapid change. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Leadership, 2008-10, Articles | No Comments »