Leading through uncertain times

As we enter a new phase of response to the global pandemic, uncertainty continues to be a reality of life for a lot of people and businesses. During times of uncertainty, people look to those in positions of both formal and natural authority and leadership for answers.  ​

​Leadership during times of change is perhaps more challenging during times of significant external uncertainty due to the increased level of unknowns and the stresses and strains such uncertainty can cause. During the Coronavirus Pandemic, the impacts and reactions become all the more visceral. In such circumstances, careful leadership is both looked for and necessary. There is also very likely to be increased and variable levels of emotion and perhaps tension, so the stakes are potentially high in terms of engagement.
 
Careful and effective leadership during times of global crisis and unavoidable change needs to be:
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CARING

There is no doubt that people know when you care and know when you don’t in any walk of life. Caring tends to be reciprocated. People who you have close contact with tend to care whether you care. Caring about individuals and their wellbeing as well as their contribution is not just a human thing to do; individuals and teams who feel truly cared for and valued are more engaged – more willing to listen, more willing to help more willing to apply discretionary effort.
 
“Leadership is about people. Period. Great leadership is about inspiring people, serving people, caring for people, and caring about people” (Kelly)
 
Fostering a culture of caring ensures every individual feels valued, enhancing morale. In a caring culture people look out for others and don’t want to walk by colleagues who may be struggling; naturally promoting and encouraging collaboration. Whilst it needs to be approached genuinely and not transactionally, investing time into really showing that you truly care about individuals and their wellbeing as well as their contribution engenders a level of respect, trust and loyalty and is often rewarded with exceptional levels of discretionary effort – people generally will “go the extra mile” for things and people they care about.
 
“The most important thing in leadership is truly caring” (Smith)
 

AUTHENTIC

“The power for authentic leadership is found not in external arrangements but in the human heart” (Palmer)
 
At its heart authentic leadership requires openness, honesty and vulnerability; essential ingredients for building foundations of trust and respect. Authentic leaders consciously foster trust; trust in themselves as credible leaders who have the individual, team, group and organisations best interest at heart. Authentic leadership encourages and promotes self-belief in a team’s ability to succeed – and “where there is a will there is a way”
 
To be successful, authentic leaders need a good level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence to truly build the emotional and psychological responses that enhance team performance.
 
“Without trust we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate. It is trust that transforms a group of people into a team.”  (Covey)
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CLEAR

Teams look to leaders for direction, purpose and a sense of expectation. In times of uncertainty, it is important to be as clear as possible. Donald Rumsfeld famously talked of “the knowns”, “the known unknowns” and “the unknown unknowns” and this can provide a simple yet useful framework for leadership clarity:
 
1.        Reinforce and reassure what is known about direction, purpose and expectations in the current situation.

2.        Acknowledge the risks presented by the known uncertainties and, where possible explain the contingency plans to address them.
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3.        Remain open to the unexpected, that is those things that aren’t known – Coronavirus was certainly not known when most business plans for 2020 and beyond were made. However, as the current pandemic and associated impacts move from unknown unknown to known uncertainty to known facts, business, leadership and personal responses need to adjust accordingly.
 
Leadership clarity in these times of dynamic uncertainty is important to build and maintain confidence and perspective.
 
“Clarity and simplicity are the antidotes to complexity and uncertainty.”  (General Casey)
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CONSISTENT

There has understandably been a backstory of commentary on the leadership displayed by leaders on the world and national stage during the pandemic; both the good and the perceived bad. One thing that such challenges have at their heart is the simple principle of consistency. Consistency is an essential ingredient in building confidence and respect. A leader needs to be able to inspire confidence, consistently with everyone in the organisation, at all levels, at all times. Consistency and respect are also important to foster the trust mentioned earlier.
 
Leaders need to be consistent with their values and behaviours, their expectations and, to a large extent, their focus.  By their personal example, leaders need to set and uphold values and behaviours that are important to the organisation. Leaders who set expectations and then choose not to follow suit can quickly lose confidence and breed discontentment and disillusionment.

Consistent leaders lead by example and set a consistent timbre of focus and expectation for the organisation. Conversely, leaders who shift with the latest whim or initiative to the expense of the long term can quickly lose the respect of the group they lead.
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Leaders who genuinely and consistently put customers at the heart of the business and their focus will naturally engender and set expectations by example that will build customer loyalty that adds real value to the organisation over the long term.
 
“Consistency is what transforms average into excellence” (Unknown)
 
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